Not all Vampires are the Same
by Mrs Amy Lee
Summary: Set after Fright 2, 1988. Peter Vincent has fallen in love - with vampire Elissa, who drinks blood but harms no human life. Then Peter finds out Elissa is pregnant, but it dawns on him that he is growing old while she is eternal. Then Peter and Charley's friendship reaches breaking point as Peter considers becoming a vampire so he can stay with his new family for all of eternity...
1. Chapter 1

**Not all Vampires are the Same**

**Author Note:**

**This story is set after the end of Fright Night 2 (1988), so is a future based fic that follows on from the two original movies.**

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**Summary:**

**With Regine destroyed, Charley and Peter are sure that their lives will not be overshadowed by vampires again – until Peter receives a letter from a Miss Elissa Lake, who wishes to meet with him to discuss the subject of 'hidden vampires' within the local community.**

**Peter Vincent throws the letter away, wanting no more battles with the undead – but then he is approached by Elissa, and on meeting her, he is surprised to find she is both likeable and beautiful, and she has even brought her eight year old daughter Opal along too. But as she tells him about a cult of vampires known as The Banished, he becomes intrigued to learn of a hidden breed who drink blood and live by night but also live by a vow to harm no human life.**

**He invites Elissa and her daughter back to his apartment, and when they recoil in terror from the sight of his anti-vampire collection of weaponry, he realises they are both vampires. Peter drives the woman and child from his apartment using the power of a crucifix, but he finds he can not forget Elissa - because he was very struck by her beauty. Later he tells Charley, who urges him not to trust Elissa and her tales of 'peaceful' vampires.**

**But after Elissa's daughter flies to Peter's apartment in the guise of a tiny bat and leaves him a letter from her mother, Peter knows he can not resist the urge to see Elissa again – and soon finds, to his great surprise, that Elissa is also attracted to him – and soon they begin a love affair, and Peter finds he has no choice but to lie to Charley to cover up the truth about his vampire lover, who drinks blood but harms no human.**

**Then Elissa tells Peter she is pregnant – at first, the ageing vampire killer is overjoyed, until he considers the fact that while he is growing old, his lover and child of vampire blood will never die. Then Elissa makes him an offer that threatens to tear apart his friendship with Charley forever, when she offers him a solution to their problem...Will Peter Vincent choose to stay with his new family forever, by making the choice to become a vampire?**

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**Rated M**

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**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my love of fan fiction.**

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**Warnings: Rated M for scenes of lovemaking and also blood drinking/horror.**

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Chapter 1

Peter Vincent had waited until he had finished filming his Fright Night show, he waited until he was out of the TV studio and sat in his car in the parking lot before he opened up the letter that had been sent to the studio, addressed to him and only him, which had not been opened until now. He had waited to open it because it was addressed to _Peter Vincent, Vampire Killer._

As he took out the folded paper and began to read, he gave a sigh.

_'Dear Mr Vincent, I am a huge fan of your work and would like to meet you. My name is Elissa Lake -"' _he paused reading and shook his head.

"Oh, Miss Lake, what do you see in an old man like me?" he wondered aloud, "And I thought my days of fan mail from women with crushes were long gone!"

And he smiled as he read on:

_'It is important that I meet with you, I have some information that may be of interest to you.'_

But as he read the next part, his expression turned to one of dismay.

"I have information regarding a vampire culture known as The Banished, blood drinkers who are a hidden part of our society?" he exclaimed, and then he paused for a moment, feeling a chill as he recalled the battles with Jerry Dandrige and later on, his sister Regine.

"No, no, _not_ again!" he said, but as much as he wanted to break off from reading, he felt compelled to read until the end:

_'Please do not feel afraid to meet with me, I only want to raise awareness that not all vampires are evil, I understand you are known as a vampire killer, and it is to people of your esteem that the message must be spread. The Banished are cast out from vampiric society, and for a good reason. They are a breed who have made the choice to live by night and drink blood but also to harm no living soul. If you can believe this is true, would you please arrange to meet with me so we can discuss this matter further? I assure you, meeting with me is entirely safe. Please agree to this because I am keen to establish some trust between us. Yours most sincerely, Miss Elissa Lake.'_

Peter reached the end of the letter and then ran through it again.

By now his mind was made up – he had already had enough of battles with vampires.

"No," he said firmly, "I do _not_ want to pursue this!"

And he screwed up the letter, tossed it out of his open car window, turned the key in the ignition and drove out of the parking lot, driving a little faster than usual as he thought only of reaching home, where he would entertain no more thoughts of vampires stalking the night.

* * *

It was early morning, long before the alarm was due to go off, when Charley Brewster's phone rang. He turned over in bed, then he put his head under the pillow, wanting to drown it out and sleep, but it kept on ringing, so he reluctantly got up and left the bedroom and went out to the hallway and answered it.

"Hello," he said wearily, and then as he heard Peter Vincent on the other end of the line, all trace of sleep left him as he listened.

"Charley – I know its early and I'm sorry but this can't wait! I tried to ignore it, I tried to pretend it wasn't important but I can't forget it!"

"Slow down," Charley told him, "Tell me what this is about."

And then he listened, and then he soon spoke up again.

"This is about a woman? You've met someone -"

"No, no Charley – she wants to meet with me and talk about vampires!"

"Well if she's a fan you never know, she might be nice -"

"No, she wrote to me about _real_ vampires!"

Charley paused.

"Are you still there?" Peter said anxiously, "Because I really need to think about this – I mean, I thought it was over when we got rid of Regine, but this woman is trying to convince me there are vampires out there who don't harm the living! Have you ever heard of such a thing? Maybe its some kind of trap, maybe -"

"Maybe she's just a big vampire fan. Or a big Peter Vincent fan."

"Oh Charley, I'm an old man! As if she would be interested in me!"

"Why not?" Charley smiled as he added, "You never know! And I really don't think its likely there would be any more vampires out there – we got rid of the bad guys, remember? Jerry Dandrige and his sister are gone."

Peter gave a heavy sigh.

"I want to believe that, I want to think there are no more threats but how can we be certain? I've thought of nothing else all night and all I could think to do was call you because I don't know if there's any truth in what she said!"

"Meet me before class," Charley said, and then he cancelled all thoughts of going back to bed, along with the notion that perhaps it wasn't over with the threat of vampires, because he couldn't be certain there really was nothing to worry about...

* * *

They met early in a coffee shop, Peter was there before Charley, and when he walked in and sat down at the table next to a window where the morning sunrise looked mellow through the glass, Charley said nothing for a moment as he just sat there in his sunglasses, wondering how long it would take Peter to notice he was wearing them again – and wondered if he would ask why, because last time it had been due to Regine trying to turn him into a vampire, but this time, the reason was very different...

"I don't know what to do about Elissa Lake!" Peter said, "She wants to meet me, Charley! What if -" he lowered his voice, "What if she's linked to Regine or Jerry Dandrige? What if this is a trap to take revenge for their deaths?"

His coffee had rising steam coming off the top and the aroma was waking him up sharply now.

"Peter," Charley said, "Forget the vampires! We can't assume anything. I think you should meet with her – meet her in a public place, then you can be sure you're safe. Not that I think you're not, but just to be sure."

"So you're not sure?"

"I don't know," Charley replied honestly, "I think she sounds harmless, maybe she's a fan with a crush who just wants an excuse to meet you. So meet her."

Peter looked at him in surprise.

"Why would I want to do that?"

"You might be glad you did. Maybe she's beautiful."

He laughed softly as he shook his head.

"At my age? You really think a woman would throw herself at me?"

"Maybe. I think you should take a chance. At the worst she could be a weirdo obsessed with vampires – if she is, just make an excuse and leave."

A thought had suddenly dawned on Peter.

"I've just realised I've probably worried for nothing and wasted your time as well."

"Why?" Charley asked him.

"Because I threw her letter away, I have no way of contacting her now!"

"You did what?"

"I threw it away. It's just occurred to me that I've probably worried over nothing, for nothing."

"And if I don't get moving I'll be late for class," Charley replied as he checked his watch, "Peter, if she gets in touch again, just see her – or don't see her, it's up to you. I doubt if there's any truth in her vampire story."

Then as he rose from the table Peter looked at him in surprise. It had finally registered that in all the time he had been at the table, Charley had not taken his shades off.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"No," Charley replied, "Me and Alex broke up. We had a quarrel, it was over nothing important, but we were at a party and I left and she stayed - and the next thing I know she's seeing some other guy. So I went over to his house and there was a bit of a scene."

Charley briefly took off his sunglasses to show his black eye and then put them back on.

"I was stupid, I know. But I really did love her."

Peter looked at him with sympathy in his eyes.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Charley. But you never know, maybe it was a blessing in disguise. Maybe there's someone else out there for you."

Charley was heavy with sadness at the break up, but managed to smile.

"And maybe you should take your own advice," he replied, "If you hear from Elissa again, maybe you should meet her - _you_ never know what could be around the corner."

And then he said he would see him soon, and he left the coffee shop, while Peter Vincent sat there in thoughtful silence as steam rose from his coffee and he wondered if Charley could be right.

* * *

Peter was in for a long wait to find out – a week passed, and he received no more letters from Elissa Lake. And then one night after filming his show, he went out to the car and just sat there with the engine off as he reflected on some news he had received that had nothing to do with vampires:

_The makers of the show had decided that Fright Night was to come to an end. He had until the end of the month, and then he was out of work..._

Peter had considered calling Charley to talk about it, because he needed to talk to someone and it made sense to talk to the one person who he had been through so much with, but Charley had been through enough with handling the break up of his relationship, so he had decided not to burden him with more bad news.

He was still thinking about the show coming to a close when a tap on his half open window made him jump. He looked around and was surprised to see a woman standing next to the car. She looked to be no older than twenty-five, her dark hair fell to her shoulders and her pale eyes sparkled as she smiled. And her blue silk dress clung to her curves in ways that made him wish he was a few years younger, and he tried _not_ to think about that as he smiled back at her...

"Mr Vincent," she said, "I'm Elissa Lake – I wrote to you a week ago."

And he felt stuck for words as he looked at her, because she was nothing like he was expecting. He wasn't entirely sure what he _had_ expected, but this woman who stood before him was certainly not it – she was beautiful and he had instantly warmed to her smile and the shine in her eyes, and as he thought about the contents of her letter, he felt torn between stopping to talk with her, or simply turning the key in the ignition and driving away.

He reached for the car keys.

"Would it be okay if I had just a few moments of your time?" she asked him, "And I brought my daughter Opal with me – I'd hate to think we came over here for nothing. Please, can I talk to you?"

And as she stepped aside and he saw a child standing beside her, his hand shifted away from the keys as he smiled kindly at the little girl with long dark hair like her mother, who looked at him with interest.

"Are you a vampire killer?" she asked, and he laughed.

"No of course not," he replied, "I'm an actor. You mustn't believe everything you see on TV -"

"But sometimes vampires are real," the girl's mother added quietly, "We _both_ know that."

And Peter checked his watch.

It was getting late, and Elissa and her young daughter were standing there in the parking lot quite alone in the moonlight with no sign of a car nearby. He wondered if they had taken the bus, and the thought of a woman and child travelling home in the dark without the safety of a car late at night bothered him greatly.

"Let's continue this conversation in my car," he offered, "I'd be happy to drive you home, Miss Lake."

Elissa smiled and as he looked into her eyes as she thanked him warmly, he tried again to ignore how attractive he found her, because he guessed he was far too old to be of interest to this beautiful young woman...

* * *

Moments later they were still in the parking lot, with Elissa in the passenger seat beside him and her daughter in the back of the car.

As Elissa spoke to him, in his mind, Peter was already thinking about the next time he would call Charley - this time he would have good news, he would tell him,_ 'I met Elissa, she's a lovely woman...she's a single mother with a young daughter, perfectly normal and nothing to do with vampires at all, I might even see her again -' _

No.

He cancelled that last part... As if Elissa would be attracted to him, that _had_ to be wishful thinking...

"And I'm so glad you agreed to meet with me," she was saying, and as much as he found he was liking to be around her, he knew they needed to get to the point to get the subject of vampires out of the way, because he was starting to think about maybe taking a detour to his place and inviting her in for a coffee to get to know her a little better, and maybe even – if he was _very_ sure that she liked him too – maybe, he would ask if she would like to come over again, this time without her daughter...

"I'm very keen to clear up this subject of vampires," he said, and as he spoke his face flushed as he wondered why he felt twenty years younger as he looked at her – and the thoughts that were running through his mind as he tried not to think about the way her low cut cress curved and hugged her cleavage made him feel certain if he did find himself in her arms, he would not regret a moment of it – _even if his back ached in the morning, and it would, and with good reason because he wanted to take her hard and hear her gasp as she felt him inside her for the first time_ – now he_ knew _he was blushing even more to have such thoughts about a complete stranger...

"I just wanted to tell you there are vampires out there who do not harm the living," she told him, "They are known as The Banished – outcasts forced to live hidden away because those who prey on the living are disgusted by their refusal to harm mortals."

He was still bushing, but the subject of vampires had rapidly cooled his arousal.

"And how would you know these Banished are real?" he asked her.

She hesitated.

"Perhaps we could talk more privately - "

"Of course," he said as he started up the car, "I was wondering if you would like to come back to my apartment for a short while before I take you home? I'd be more than happy to talk with you there."

She smiled, and the look in her eyes had the power to fuel fantasies of the kind he thought had long slipped out of his reach.

"I'd like that very much, Peter," she replied.

* * *

As he drove, they talked some more.

Elissa told him she was separated from Opal's father, but added that they had split on good terms and he saw her often and financially supported both of them.

"But we're only good friends now," she added quickly, "There's no one in my life in a romantic way. I expect you probably have a wife at home, or a girlfriend -"

"_No."_

Peter realised he had said that a little too keenly, and he glanced at her and smiled.

"My career always came first when I was younger," he told her, "And I never met the right one, and suddenly I'm an old man, with no wife or family to call my own, but I do have some wonderful memories of a very successful career, of course." And he turned his attention back to the road once more.

"I know what you mean about time," she replied, "It can go so fast, in the blink of an eye... And I do hope you will take me seriously, about The Banished – they are a peaceful clan of vampires, certainly not to be feared. It is said they live among us quietly. Not one of them deserves to be killed. That is why vampire hunters need to understand they pose no threat."

They had reached Peter's apartment block.

He parked his car and as he shut off the engine, she spoke again.

"_It's not a war."_

He looked at her sharply, recalling how he had once said he felt the battle between mortals and blood sucking vampires was a war.

"_What?"_ he said in a hushed voice.

She smiled sweetly.

"It really isn't. While there are bad vampires out there, they only represent half of the vampire community. The other half are peaceful."

"But you wouldn't know that for sure. It sounds as if this is some kind of new urban legend, perhaps?"

As he looked into her eyes he felt stirrings of desire once more, but then Elissa's daughter spoke up from the back seat and once again his thoughts towards her mother were pushed aside.

"So you don't _really_ hurt vampires, Mr Vincent?" she asked him.

"Of course not!" he assured her, and then he got out of the car.

* * *

Once they were in the apartment, his first thought was to fix Opal with a drink so he could sit her down somewhere quiet and then go into another room to talk to her mother, but as he took off his coat and offered the child some juice she shook her head.

"Maybe some milk?" he offered, and he walked off towards the kitchen as Opal looked up at he mother and frowned, and Elissa took her daughter's hand and they went off to join him.

"But I don't drink milk -" Opal whispered.

"Just take the glass and sit down and let me talk to Mr Vincent," Elissa said quietly, and as they walked into the kitchen Peter handed the child a glass of milk. She took it from him and looked at it, and then shrugged and walked out of the room again.

* * *

Now they were alone, Peter looked intently at Elissa as they stood together in the kitchen.

"Would you like some coffee?" he asked her.

She shook her head

"I would only like to discuss The Banished. Their leader is said to be a vampire king -"

He held up his hand to silence her as he smiled warmly.

"Please, let's not talk any more about these rumours. If they do exist I'm sure they are harmless, as you say they live peacefully and harm no one." He paused, thinking about what Charley had said about not knowing what could be around the corner, and then he decided to take a chance, just this once, and see if he was right about his instincts, because those instincts seemed to be telling him that although she was much younger than him, Miss Lake certainly liked him...

"It's been really nice, meeting you tonight," he told her, "And I know its getting late and you probably need to get your daughter home soon, but I was wondering if you would like to come over another time...tomorrow evening, perhaps?"

And his heart missed a beat as she smiled and he saw a sparkle in her eyes.

"I would love to!" she said warmly, "Let me see...I will have to ask April to baby sit for me -"

"April?"

"My close friend, she shares the house with us. She always helps out with Opal."

"Perhaps we can have dinner?" Peter suggested, "And maybe a few drinks?"

She smiled again.

"I'll definitely be here, what time?"

"Eight o'clock?" he suggested.

She thought about it.

"Nine would be better."

"Nine it is then!"

As their eyes met, he felt a warmth pass between them, and as the thought hit him that he wanted to kiss her, she stepped closer, kissed his cheek and then stepped back again, and as she briefly avoided his gaze her shyness only made him feel even warmer towards her as he reached up in surprise and touched his cheek, where he swore he could still feel the brush of her lips.

"I just wanted to... you know, be affectionate – briefly. I hope you don't mind," she said quickly.

Peter felt twenty years younger as his eyes darkened with desire.

"I don't mind at all," he told her softly, "I like you too, Elissa."

And then the spell was sharply broken as a scream came from the front room.

* * *

As Elissa turned and ran, Peter ran after her wondering why Elissa's daughter had screamed so sharply. She was still screaming as he reached the open door to the front room, and then as he saw why she was screaming, his expression changed to one of shock:

The child's eyes were glowing as tiny pointed fangs drew down white, she was trembling and shivering and started to cry for her mother and as Elissa gave a gasp at the sight of the old movie props on his wall – also his vampire killing tools – she cringed at the sight of the crucifix on the wall as she turned away from a mirror that cast no reflection of her or her child as she wrapped protective arms about Opal, and the child buried her face in her mother's dress and sobbed.

Elissa looked at Peter with eyes that had changed to the familiar glow of the vampire as her own teeth grew sharp.

"Please Mr Vincent," she begged, "Do not harm us...we are Banished. We harm no one!Let us go, at least let my child go!"

Her words had shocked him:

_She thought he was going to kill them both?_

He knew he didn't want to do that, he also knew all she had told him about the clan –_ her_ clan – was probably true, but a vampire was still a vampire no matter what, and he could only take one course of action...

Peter was shaking and pale with fear as he edged around the room and grabbed the crucifix from the wall and held it out before them.

"_Be gone!"_ he said sharply, _"Leave this place and take your devil spawn with you!"_

And as Elissa gave a sob he saw tears run down her face.

"_I'm sorry!"_ she said in a voice broken by pain, and as she folded up into a dark swirl and so did the child, the mist twisted and shrank and then two bats swooped low and fast, and Peter ducked quickly as the larger bat flew out of the open window, and the smaller one swiftly followed.

He was still shaking as the crucifix slipped from his hands and he stood in shock at the window, watching as the bats flew off into the night, silhouetted by the glow of a bright full moon.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"I hate to say this Peter, but I think there could be more vampires out there than we ever imagined. Although on the positive side of it, I must say it sounds as if she was telling the truth – maybe half of them really don't harm human life."

Charley's words offered him little comfort as they sat together in his apartment as the sun shone high in a blue sky beyond the window, and that sunlight brought great reassurance to Peter, who was still feeling shaken up recalling the sight of Elissa and her child and their sudden transformation.

"She begged me not to kill her, or the child. She actually thought I was going to kill them both!"

"And you thought about it, right? I mean, they're vampires -"

"No, I just wanted to drive them out."

Then Peter fell silent for a moment as worry clouded his dark eyes.

"I understand now, she wanted me to become aware of these Banished because she is one of them, her child is also one of them! I couldn't have put a stake through the little girl's heart, I know I couldn't have done that. And the last thing Elissa said to me was that she was sorry! They didn't come here to harm me, she really wanted to make me aware of the peaceful ones who harm no one, she just wants to keep her people safe."

"But you did the right thing," Charley replied, "You _had _to get rid of them, and driving them out with a crucifix ought to send a loud and clear message not to return. I don't think she will come back, she's got a child to consider – she doesn't know if you might kill her if she returned. And as long as she stays away, I think we can assume that's the end of the matter."

And as Charley looked from the sofa to the arm chair where Peter sat deep in thought, he noticed he still looked troubled.

"What's wrong now? You sent them away, they're peaceful vampires who harm no one – or so she said – if that's true, you can forget about them both."

Peter met his gaze and slowly shook his head.

"No Charley, I can't forget," he replied, "Because she came to me, trusting me, to tell me that not all vampires were evil. And I reacted as if all vampire killers attack all breeds of vampire, regardless of their intention towards humanity. So perhaps I came off this far worse than she did – I gave out the message that all vampires, as far as us mortals are concerned, need to be hunted down. No wonder her kind hide in secrecy, of course they do – they fear our prejudiced mindset."

Charley stared at him in surprise.

"I can't believe you're talking like this, Peter! What ever happened to the great vampire killer?"

"He just realised not all vampire are a threat," Peter replied honestly, "That's what happened to him - last night opened my eyes to a possibility I had never thought existed until I met Elissa."

Charley was still feeling surprised that Peter could have changed his mind, when he had always felt the battle between vampires and mortals was as black and white as good versus evil...

"She must have made a big impression on you," he said.

"She did, and now she's gone," Peter replied, and as he turned his gaze to the open window where now he saw a sunlit sky but recalled a moonlit night, Charley heard sadness in his voice.

"She's gone," Peter said again.

"And you'd best forget about her."

Peter looked back at him.

"Of course," he replied, "I just have to hope that was my last ever dealing with a vampire. Although I won't have too much time to think about it soon, I'll be too busy looking for another job."

It had been over a week. Charley's black eye was gone and while he could only guess at the remainder of pain that lingered in his heart over Alex, Peter had decided now would be the best time to break the news.

"But you have a job – hosting Fright Night."

"Only until the end of the month. Then it's the end, Charley. So as I said, I'll be too busy looking for work to worry about vampires."

"I'm sorry," Charley said to him, "I know you loved hosting that show, and you've done it for so long -"

"It doesn't matter, everything comes to an end eventually." And then Peter smiled, and thanks to his acting skills, Charley did not see the sadness he was hiding behind a smile that suggested he really wasn't too bothered.

"You're right about the vampires," Charley said as he got up from the sofa, "You'll have too much on your mind to worry about them coming back – but if they do, call me, I don't want you to face a situation like that alone."

Peter got up too and they left the room together and walked down the hallway to the door of his apartment.

"You didn't have to worry about me," Peter promised him, "If anything else happens I'll be calling you right away."

And they exchanged a smile, both recalling the bond of friendship that had been forged out of their battles with vampires.

"I'll call you at the weekend," Charley told him, and then he said goodbye and walked over to the elevator and went inside and hit the button for the ground floor.

* * *

Peter went back into his apartment and closed the door, then he looked around at the silent home that felt so empty sometimes. His thoughts went back to Elissa and how she had made him feel when they had first met.

He wanted to feel that way again – but she was a vampire, and so he knew it could not happen. He walked back towards the front room feeling quite alone, and feeling as if hopes and dreams had just been snatched away, right at the moment Elissa became a vampire before his eyes.

He wondered if he would spend the rest of his life alone, then as he sank down on to the sofa he guessed that was a very likely conclusion, and he turned on the TV and a cable channel was showing a rerun of one of his old vampire movies. That picked up his mood, and he sat there and watched the movie, lost in thoughts of the past and nostalgia, where for now, thoughts of Elissa would not creep back to make him wonder why he ached in his heart when he thought about the vampire he had driven out the night before...

* * *

The night drew in quickly, too quickly for Peter, who had thought of nothing but Elissa all day long. He didn't want to think about her – simply because she was a vampire. She was a blood drinker who slept in coffin, she was undead, her thirst for blood was revolting and how the hell did she drink enough of it to stay alive, without harming a single mortal?

_He wanted an answer to that question._

_But he didn't want it so badly that he would seek her out..._

And still that ache lingered in his heart as he recalled the look in her eyes and the warmth that had passed between them as they stood together in the kitchen. He had thought, for a brief moment, that perhaps there was a chance that there could have been something wonderful between them.

_But that was in the moments before he had found out she was a vampire..._

By now the sun was gone down and night had fallen dark, but Peter had no intention of going to sleep. His mind was too full of thoughts of the vampires that were still out there, and one vampire in particular, the one whose beauty he could not forget.

The night was warm and he left his apartment, deciding on a walk to try and clear his head. As he walked along a street lit by the glow of street lights, few cars passed by, and the whole area seemed deserted. But he didn't mind the peace, because he needed it to think some more.

_And still he could not forget Elissa..._

As he paused and looked around at the quiet road lined by trees and then up at a star pricked sky where the moon shone down silver, it occurred to him that it was certainly ironic that a vampire killer had been so affected by meeting a female vampire. He had never imagined he ever could have had feelings for one of those creatures, but...

_But, what?_

He couldn't understand why she lingered in his thoughts so deeply.

"I'm _not_ in love with her!" he said quietly, and then he thought about what he had just said and wished he could be certain about that fact:

_Yes, it certainly would be ironic if the vampire killer had fallen for a vampire..._

* * *

A few streets away, in a large house half hidden by heavy trees, where the lace curtains at the windows hid the thick solid steel behind it that forever blocked out the rays of the sun, a dim porch light shone to welcome the coming of the night. In the front garden, hidden by a high wall, night flowering blooms made the air smell sweet as young Opal Lake sat beside a darkened pond and looked thoughtfully at the moon reflected in the water.

Then the sound of a car slowing to a halt outside drew her attention, and she got up and stepped on to the path and looked down to the high, barred gate. As she recognised the familiar black limousine that had had just pulled up, her face lit up with a smile as her eyes shone with joy, and then she ran into the house, where her mother and April were sitting together in the front room talking.

"Daddy's here!" she said excitedly.

And Elissa set down a crystal glass filled with chilled blood heavily on to the table as she stood up and looked at her in alarm.

"_What?"_

And April, who was tall and slender with long fair hair, set down her own glass, clumsily, blood spilled on to the glass table and she ran a fingertip over it and licked her finger quickly.

"His majesty is here?"

Elissa looked at her in panic.

"I explained to him on the phone, I told him why it went wrong -"

"Oh shit," April muttered as she heard the front door close heavily, "You're in trouble, girl!"

And then he walked into the room, a tall and powerfully built man in a velvet suit the shade of night with a gold embroidered waistcoat beneath it. He wore a silver ring that held a blood red ruby and his bright blue eyes settled coldly on Elissa as Opal ran to him and hugged him and then looked up at him.

"Welcome, Daddy!" she said as she looked to her father, "Will you stay for a while?"

He reached down and patted the child's head.

"I have some business to discuss with your mother," he told her, "Maybe next time, because I must fly before the sunrise and I have a long way to go back -"

Elissa looked at him in surprise.

"You _flew_ here?"

And Jet Marlowe, known as the Vampire King, ran his hand through light brown hair streaked with grey and fixed her with an intense gaze.

"You think I'd make like a bat and flap my wings all the way from New Orleans just to tell you what a mess you made of last night? Of course not, I came by limo!"

And then he looked down at his daughter.

"Next time, I'll make more time for you, I swear," he promised her, "But tonight is about business." Then he looked to April, who took the child by the hand and led her from the room.

* * *

Now they were alone, Jet stood closer to Elissa, who was standing beside the fireplace as the coals glowed and added to the shadowy light that burned from the dim bulbs in the antique glass lamp shades.

"What exactly went wrong?" he asked, and as he placed his hand on her shoulder his gaze briefly flickered down her body, wrapped so well in a short, dark silken dress.

She watched the low flames glow in the fireplace and then she turned to face Jet. She saw no anger in his eyes, and that came as a relief, because Mr Marlowe was fair - but fierce - king...

"I delivered the message to Peter Vincent. I explained there are vampires in this world who do not harm the living and who do not cause trouble, and he listened - but then Opal ran into the front room and he had all these horrible weapons on his wall – crosses, stakes... she screamed and I ran in to see why and of course it affected us both. He was terrified. He used a crucifix to repel us. I apologised, but he made us leave. I didn't mean to frighten him, Jet. I wanted to deliver the message the way you asked me to, so that we could start to build bridges between them and us, like you said."

"Well maybe Mr Vincent will remember your message," he replied, "He knows you made no attempt to attack him, that alone should put the message across that The Banished harm no one. But do take care. He may be afraid of you. And next time I ask you to deliver a message, leave the child at home!"

She avoided his gaze for a moment, and then when she could bear the burn of his stare no longer she looked back at him, as he was silently commanding her to do.

"I am sorry it went wrong. I liked him and -"

"He's a mortal!" Jet warned her, "You don't want to be getting too close to a human. We both know that could prove dangerous on both sides."

She nodded.

"Of course," she agreed, "I understand."

"You'd better understand!" Jet said sharply, "Mortals and vampires do not mix romantically – I can see it in your eyes, you want that guy. You can't have him! We all know there's more than one way to kill a vampire, Elissa. There is a reason why so few hybrid offspring of mortal- vampiric connection survive. Don't risk it. I know you too well, you're passionate," And then he smiled and added, "Either you'll kill him, or you'll get pregnant and that human seed inside you will kill you and the baby too, poison the pair of you with mortal blood. Also he's got the blood of our people on his hands. It doesn't matter he killed a bad lot, its still the blood of our race, Elissa. Remember that."

She nodded again.

"And now I shall be on my way" he told her, "I'll be sure to stop by another time, when I can make some time to spend with young Opal. You're doing a good job with her, she's a great kid."

"Thank you."

He didn't acknowledge her reply as he walked away and left the room.

Elissa remained by the fireplace, listening as he walked down the hallway, and as the front door closed, she breathed a relieved sigh:

_Jet had come a long way to tell her off for her mistake, but at least she was forgiven..._

* * *

Up in her bedroom, where heavy drapes covered the steel that blacked out the windows, the light was on as Opal reached into her dolls house and drew out a folded piece of paper. She turned to April and then unfolded it.

"I found this in Mommie's room," she said, "She wrote a letter to Mr Vincent, but she hasn't given it to him."

"Show me."

April took the letter and began to read:

_'Dear Peter, I am sorry. Perhaps I should have told you the truth before we went back to your apartment. But what then? Would you have driven out of the parking lot in fear of us? You may as well know all of the truth – my name is not really Lake. It is Dandrige. I am one of the many daughters of the hated Regine – but she disowned me five centuries ago when I joined with The Banished. I am thankful that you have taken her and my Uncle Jerry out of existence, as vampires like them could spell the end for us all, they were truly evil. But I am not, and also, while we are on the subject, my daughter is NOT 'a spawn of Satan' ! I found that remark very hurtful. Her father is a powerful and peaceful man and highly respected within our community. So please do not insult my sweet child again. And once more I am sorry for what happened. I never intended to scare you, only to extend the hand of friendship. Could we try to meet again, perhaps without the crosses on the wall, and the other weaponry? Could you lock it all away for one evening and let me prove my intentions are good? Sincerely, Elissa.'_

"Oh dear," April said, "It sounds like your mother was very upset over scaring Mr Vincent. She liked him very much?"

Opal nodded.

"She was crying when she wrote the letter. I heard her. Then she hid it under her pillow and left it there. I want to give the letter to Mr Vincent, because I think he should have it."

April smiled fondly at Opal.

"I think he should have it too," she told her, "We shall both go over to the apartment tonight, and you can leave him the note. Don't worry, I'll come with you."

And Opal smiled as April took her hand.

April led her down the stairs, then called out to Elissa to say she was taking Opal out for a while.

Then they went outside into the darkened garden, and moments later two bats flew off into the night sky, and the smaller one carried a folded note in its mouth.

* * *

Peter Vincent had enjoyed his evening walk. The night was still quiet and the streets deserted but thankfully, it had been reassuring to catch no sight or hint of a vampire lurking anywhere.

And then as he reached his apartment block he heard a flap of wings, and stared at the sight of two bats flying away from a small open window, the window he had left open to let in some night air.

He hurried inside, took the elevator back to his floor and hurried into his apartment, wondering if he had just seen ordinary bats flying in the night or if they had been vampires returning...

He found the note on the floor, folded on the carpet and he picked it up and started to read, and as he read her words, his heart ached once more. He no longer felt fear, even when he read that she was the daughter of Regine, he understood, because she had joined The Banished long ago – of course she did not want the family name of Dandrige, she was ashamed of it...

"Oh Elissa," he said, "What am I to do?"

And he looked out of the window, but the bats were long gone now, not even showing up as flickering, tiny specks passing by the moon...

* * *

When they reached home, the two bats shifted form into April and Opal once more, and as they approached the house, Elissa came out to the porch.

"Where did you go?" she asked, and her daughter and her close friend exchanged a glance.

"I didn't want you to cry any more," Opal said honestly, "So I took the note to Mr Vincent's apartment."

"I went with her," April added.

They walked past her and went back into the house, then Elissa closed the door behind them.

"What did you do that for?" she demanded.

"I want you to be happy," Opal said, "So I put the note through the window."

And she looked into her daughter's eyes and could not be angry when she saw nothing but love there.

"That was very kind of you," she promised her, "Thank you, Opal. But don't do anything like that ever again without asking me first, okay?"

"Okay!" she said brightly, and then she went upstairs to play in her room.

* * *

Now they were alone together in the hallway, as Elissa turned to April she glared at her angrily.

"You should have stopped her!" she sharply, making an effort to keep her voice down, "He drove us out with a crucifix, I only wrote that letter because -"

"Because you wanted to tell him how you feel but you were too scared to give it to him."

That was true, but she still felt angry.

"April, he won't want to see me again."

"You don't know that. Go over there tomorrow night, go alone. Just knock on his door and if he opens it and he wants to talk you, then you know you can mend the bridge. If he comes at you with garlic or a stake, fly the hell away and never go back again. It's up to you now."

The anger was fading from her eyes as she looked to her close friend.

"Why are you trying to set me up with him?"

"Because Opal said you cried over him, " April replied, "And I know you like him – and I also know you need a real relationship, not a loose connection to a guy who fathered your child at an orgy at his mansion almost nine years ago! I know Jet Marlowe is the vampire king, but he's got _lots_ of kids out there – it's what he does, he sleeps with guys for fun and the women to breed. I'm not disrespecting him, but he's a player, and you need more than that. You need someone who will love you."

"Peter is a mortal."

"So what? You like each other, it doesn't have to spell disaster if you were both careful."

Now Elissa was smiling.

"You really think we could work out?"

"I think you should see where it goes."

Suddenly she felt more confident.

"Okay," she said to April, "I'll do that. I'll stop by his apartment tomorrow night, at least then I'll know for sure how he feels about me."

"And you won't change your mind?"

Elissa laughed softly, her face flushing as she thought of Peter Vincent.

"I won't change my mind," she promised her, "I really want to do this."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

When the knock sounded on the door of his apartment, Peter had been standing by the window looking out at the night sky and thinking on the night, and the creatures that lived within it – mainly vampires – one vampire in particular. He had just walked away from a mirror in the front room where he had looked at his ageing reflection by the soft lamplight that lit the room, and then he had turned away sadly, guessing that he was probably too old to be thinking about romance, especially with Elissa – even though, as she was a vampire, she was hundreds of years old, but she did not look a day over twenty five and would always be youthful.

_And he was just a mortal..._

Those were the thoughts on his mind as he stood at the window looking out into the night when he heard the knock on the door.

He had not been expecting visitors that evening, and he went quickly to the door, his heart racing as he half hoped it was her but also hoped that it wasn't.

When he opened the door and saw her standing there, surprise reflected in his gaze as she stood there looking beautiful, her dark hair falling to her shoulders and her silken dress clinging to her curves. And this time she was alone, too. He wanted to speak but instead he just stood there looking at her, unable to forget the way she had rapidly transformed from a beautiful woman into a vampire...

And as she looked back at him, she felt awkward.

"Peter," she said, "I would have told you everything, I had no intention for you to find out the way you did. I didn't come here to make trouble or to frighten you. I only came here to make you aware of the nature of my people because his majesty asked me to."  
"His majesty?" Peter asked her, making no attempt to invite her in.

"The vampire king Mr Jet Marlowe, he is anxious that those known to be vampire killers understand the difference between those who choose to harm humans and those who do not harm them at all."

"Well you did make me aware of that and I also read your letter, Elissa. Your name is Dandrige, that was a shock – but I understand why you changed it and why you disowned your family the way you did. But at the end of the day, I'm the man who destroyed Regine. There must be a part of you that dislikes me for doing that."

She shook her head.

"I had not spoken to my other for centuries! She disgusted me, Peter! That was why I joined The Banished. I am a peaceful soul, I want nothing more than for the evil ones to be removed from society, and for my kind to eventually become accepted."

His dark eyes widened in surprise.

"I don't think that can ever happen, Elissa. Your kind will always be hunted down, even though you are peaceful. There are many out there who would fear you simply because you are vampire."

As she looked back at him, pain reflected in her eyes.

"Do you fear me? I do not think I could bear it if you said that you did."

And suddenly her honest remark had sent the barrier between them tumbling down.

"Oh no, I don't fear you! I could never fear you, Elissa, not now!"

And he stepped back and invited her inside.

* * *

As she crossed the threshold it occurred to him that he had just willingly invited a vampire into his home, but he didn't care, because it was Elissa, and his heart was aching for her, his arms ached to hold her all over again and now he knew it – yes, the vampire killer _was_ falling in love with the vampire...

"Wait here," Peter said as he closed the door behind her, and then she stood there in the hallway and waited as he paused to firmly close the door to the front room.

"I would hate to have a repeat of what happened last time," he told her, "Please, come with me."

And he led her down the hallway and into a study area – in this room, the walls were full of old movie posters but there were no vampire killing tools in sight. She glanced to the book cases, they were filled with a mix of titles and some were on the subject of vampires – both in movies and in legend, but then as he took a seat on a sofa by an open window he invited her to sit too, and she did, keeping a space between them as she looked into his eyes.

"Are you comfortable in here?" he asked as he snapped on a lamp that stood on a nearby table, and the room brightened up a little more, making up for the dim glow of the bulb covered by a dark shade that hung from the ceiling.

She looked around and then noticed the velvet drapes at the window and how the floor in this room was polished wood covered by an antique rug, and she smiled.

"I like your apartment. It is dark and has a very old feel about it. Almost as if it could be the home of a vampire."

And she laughed softly and he laughed too, nervously.

"I'm definitely not a vampire!"

Her smile faded.

"No, you are a vampire_ killer_ but I can overlook that because you never harmed a member of my family – by my family, I mean The Banished. And I really need to get something out of the way – you insulted my daughter!"

"I didn't mean to," Peter assured her, "I saw vampires in my apartment and I...I suppose I panicked. Of course she's not the spawn of Satan, she's a lovely child!"

The annoyance that had briefly flashed in her eyes faded.

"And like Jet Marlowe said to me, I should have left my child at home."

He looked at her with interest.

"You're good friends with this vampire king?"

As she met his gaze her face flushed.

"Mr Marlowe is a very friendly guy. By that I mean he loves to love his people – literally. The men and the women. I fell pregnant by him after an orgy at his mansion."

She saw the look of surprise on Peter's face and laughed.

"It's an old familiar situation to many a pretty vampire who gets invited to one of his parties," she added, "And it is an honour to have a child fathered by such a man. He set me up with a house and an income and he stops by when he can to see Opal. I have great admiration for him, for the way he set up the Banished clan – we are every where now, Peter. There are so many of us, and those not born of vampiric union, sometimes choose to join us."

He tensed a little as he heard her say that.

"Join you?"

"Some people want to join us, for various reasons – usually because they have met a vampire partner and want to be with them always. Of course there are strict laws regarding such practises."

"Laws?" Peter wondered.

She settled back comfortably on the sofa as her gaze locked with his.

"Of course. We have many laws – that's what separates us from the evil ones who care not for humanity. We have a strict code of behaviour."

"And what does this code involve?" he asked her.

She answered right away.

"No vampire must bite a human unless the human has been approved by his majesty to join us, the most common reason would be to marry a vampire partner and go on to raise a vampire family. That is the most used reason permission is given for the bite to be used on a mortal."

Peter thought for a moment.

"What if a mortal wanted to be with a vampire and stay mortal? Live with a vampire, have a family with a vampire?"

"No," she said quietly, and she looked down at the floor as she avoided his gaze, "That would not work. It is extremely discouraged."

"Why?"

She slowly met his gaze, and one look in his dark eyes made her want to shift closer and kiss him to shut him up, but she knew he would still ask that same question again when the kiss had ended, so instead she told him the truth.

"There are many reason why mortals and vampires can not be together Firstly the vampire tendency – the urge of old that dwells within us – will rise like an animal during times of extreme emotion, such as lovemaking. It has been known for vampires to bite their lovers or even kill them during lovemaking. Although that is an extreme example, my people have been taught for centuries to hold back the animal within. And the other reason is the breeding complication – mortals and vampires are not meant to cross breed."

Confusion clouded his eyes.

"Cross breed? What does that mean? I see no reason why there couldn't be a half vampire -"

She laughed as she shook her head.

"Oh Peter, you've spent so long learning about the enemy and ways to kill it, you know nothing about how their babies come about!"

And then her smile faded as sadness reflected in her eyes."From the moment a child is conceived between a mortal and a vampire, the child is in a constant battle as the human and vampiric sides fight to take over the growing baby. If the mortal side wins the child will be born half vampire, with the mortal inherited blood slowly killing the vampire. There are cures for the condition, there are ways to eliminate the human trace from a new born but these cures are hard to come by. And there is terrible risk to the mother – breeding with a mortal can cause a vampire mother to die after childbirth."

"I had no idea these things could happen," Peter said to her.

"Now you know," she replied, "Its not just stakes and sunlight – there's more than one way to kill a vampire."

As she fell silent he said nothing for a moment, reflecting on all she had explained. But as he looked into her eyes again, he ached with the need to be closer to her, he wanted to hold her, to kiss her – but first, he had to ask a question.

"If I moved closer to you and put my arms around you, what's the chance that you might bite me?" he said nervously.

And she shifted closer, right next to him, and her cool hand touched his cheek tenderly.

"There is no chance of that happening, I would never hurt you," she promised him, "I have too high a regard for your fragile mortality, and I am so very fond of you."

Peter's eyes shone dark as he felt stirrings of arousal that refused to be held back any longer.

"That's all I needed to know," he said softly, and he drew her into his arms and kissed her.

* * *

What happened next was something he had hoped for, had longed for, and had dreaded at the same time. He had taken her by the hand and led her though to the bedroom, and once inside he had closed the door and led her over to the bed, and then they were on that bed together, with the lights out, as he slid his hands over her dress and kissed her. As she began to pull at the buttons on his shirt he tugged at her zip and impatiently pulled down her dress, and finding that she was naked beneath it and seeing her lying there on his bed, her bare flesh exposed by moonlight, was almost too much to take.

"I know you want me," she whispered as he stood up again and quickly unbuckled his belt and took off the rest of his clothes, "I can feel your desire rushing through your blood, I can hear the pounding of your heart."

He got in bed quickly and pulled the sheets up to their shoulders.

"You're talking like a vampire. Please don't bite me!"

And then she kissed him on the side of his neck, and laughed as he gave a gasp.

"I'm sorry," she said as she giggled, "But fear...that is also a huge turn on for me!" I can't help it, Peter, I sense it in your blood!"

"Can we just forget about my blood?"

"Of course."

She was slowly kissing down his body now, very gentle, human kisses and he closed his eyes and drew in a sharp breath as she reached his groin but then he threw back the covers and she looked up at him as she placed her hands on his hips and gently stroked them.

"Please keep your fangs out of the way...be careful down there..." he said nervously.

"Peter."

He raised his head and looked down at her.

"_Stop_ worrying!" she said sweetly, and she kissed his thigh and in the moonlight he saw long razor sharp teeth, and the sight of them made him freeze.

"_Put the fangs away!"_

"I won't hurt you at all," she whispered, and then he gave another gasp as she kissed him, and the kiss was intimate. Peter reached down and slid his hand over the back of her hair and said her name quietly. She looked up at him again.

"What's wrong?"

"It's been a while since I've had a relationship," he said nervously, "I haven't done this for a while... I'm not sure I can do this."

And as her gaze shifted down to his erection he could almost feel it like a physical touch as he held back and kept control as he ached for her.

"I don't _see_ a problem, Peter," she said softly.

And as he looked at her he spoke again, but he was no longer looking into her eyes, instead his gaze had shifted to the pointed fangs that shone bone white in the moonlight.

"I do," he whispered, "I see a problem here. I'm sorry, I can't do this, not with you."

And he gently pushed her away and got out of bed and put on a dressing gown, wrapping it about his body and then pausing to tie it.

"I'm sorry Elissa," he said again, "I'm probably crazy to send you away," And he looked at her with eyes glazed with tears, "I can't. I just can't make love with you."

She got out of bed too and stood there, naked in the moonlight and he was thankful he had tied that dressing gown up because he was so hard one touch from her would have made him explode... if not for the fangs, if not for those sharp teeth that had become visible as soon as she became aroused...

"_You don't want me because I'm a vampire."_

There was hurt in her eyes and in her voice, and he wanted to cry out of frustration and anger at his own inability to get over the sight of those sharp teeth, but as much as he wanted her, he could not reach for her.

"I'm sorry."

As he stood there watching her reach for her clothing he swore he could feel her hurt at his rejection, and it was enough to make him think twice.

"_Wait."_

She stood there with her dress in her hand, turning her head in the moonlight as her dark hair shone like silk.

"What for?" she said.

He drew in a deep breath, considered all he would lose if she left now at this moment, and then he reached for her hand.

"I do want you," he said softly, "I do, but...not like that, not the first time. Sit own on the bed and lie back."

Her dress fell from her grip and landed on the carpet, and as she obeyed him and lay down on the bed, her body bathed in moonlight as she looked up at him, he suddenly felt safer – maybe it was the distance he had put between himself and those teeth – but he knew he felt confident now.

As he untied his dressing gown and then took it off, her gaze shifted to his erection and she gave a moan of longing as he got on to the bed and her legs parted. He leaned over her, his gaze dark with desire and still carrying a measure of fear.

"_Kiss me once," _he whispered, _"Then no more – not until afterwards. Keep your teeth away from my flesh."_

She nodded, then she caught her breath as she felt him enter her body slowly, gently, and as she gave another moan he slid deeper into her, and he remembered how he had always been proud of the fact that his lovers had all appreciated the fact that he was well built where it mattered – not that he had ever bragged about it, and that was something time could not change, although as he thrust harder and she cried out and he gently closed his hands around her wrists and held her down and thrust again, sending a shudder through her body, the thought occurred to him that tomorrow, he would most likely be filming Fright Night with a bad back, because it was already starting to ache, but he didn't care any more as he closed his eyes and made love to Elissa, losing himself in moment he wished would last for eternity as he took her hard, and the vampire woman who could have easily fought him off allowed him to pin her down by her wrists as his movements became rough and impatient.

* * *

By the time he had lost all control and come hard and fast, the last thrust sent a bolt of pain shooting through his lower back, but he didn't care. As the last throb of pleasure left his body and he slid exhausted into her arms, he was breathing heavily as a trickle of sweat ran down his face. She felt warm now, although her body was cooler than his, and as night breeze blew through the window she shivered, and he reached for the sheet and drew it up around them. As their eyes met he saw her fangs had disappeared now, and he kissed her deeply, then kissed her again, and as he looked into her eyes he knew he was falling in love.

"You feel it too," she whispered, "You do, you love me as I love you."

"I can't hide anything from you," he replied, "You feel it all."

Then she smiled.

"That has to be a good thing, us vampires are very sensitive to emotion. It will make us closer."

He smiled too.

"I never thought I'd find someone at my age – and a vampire was the last thing I was expecting!"

Then he turned over on his back and pain briefly registered on his face.

"I'll be hosting the show with a bad back tomorrow night!"

"Can I help you with that?" she asked, and he shook his head.

"I'm just an ageing mortal, Elissa. But loving you is worth some discomfort!" then Peter laughed, "That was the best I've ever had! Its worth a back ache, what we just did was so good, I'm expecting the neighbours to either come outside for a cigarette, or to break into a round of applause!"

And she laughed too. Then she turned on her side and ran her hand across his chest, touching him gently as she looked into his eyes.

"Do you see it now? There is nothing to be afraid of, I won't hurt you."

"Of course I see it!" he replied, "But I'm still unsure about letting you..." and he pointed downwards, "You know, go down there."

Amusement danced in her eyes.

"Peter, I can take you in my mouth without scraping you with my teeth!"

"I know that, but ...it's just a fear I've got, okay?"

She was still looking amused, and then he smiled too.

"Let's just leave that for now, I just want to hold you."

But as he put his arm around her, she spoke up again.

"You know I have to leave before daybreak."

He frowned, remembering what sunlight could do to a vampire.

"I certainly don't want to burn you to death!" he exclaimed.

"At least I'd go happy if I was in your arms," she teased, "But unfortunately I have to leave before sunrise. Maybe you could stay over at my place tomorrow night. You could stay all night and all day, too – we have blacked out windows, sun proof."

As he looked at her he gave a sigh.

"As much as I would love to spend all that time with you my dear, I do not relish the thought of two of us cramped up together in an earth filled coffin."

She smiled again.

"I sleep in a bed. Beneath the mattress is a container, concealed and full of earth. Not all vampires sleep in coffins, you know!"

He looked at her in surprise.

"Really?"

She nodded.

"Yes, really! And I also drink wine and I eat some foods – these days mainly herbs used for flavourings with the blood that I drink – not all vampires live like my mother and her brother did."

Peter looked at her intently.

"Where do you get the blood from? I mean, you must need a lot of it to survive. How can you get that much of the stuff without biting anyone?"

"Mr Jet Marlowe is the owner of one of the biggest blood bank companies in the country - more than seventy percent of the human blood donated goes to the vampire population."

Peter thought about what she had just said.

"So all that blood feeds the Banished ones?"

"Yes," she replied, "We get to feed and no one gets hurt."

Then she kissed him again.

"So, tomorrow night, I'll meet you and we can go back to my place, yes?"

"Yes, I'd love to do that," he replied, and then as he embraced her while the moon shone full and silver, the thought occurred to him that come Saturday morning he would not be home when Charley called – and later when he returned he didn't doubt that he would call again, probably worried and asking if he was okay.

But he knew he could not tell him the truth.

He felt guilty when he thought of his close friend, and of all they had been through together – but this was a situation where he had no choice, even though he hated the idea of it:

_He would have to lie to Charley, and keep on lying because this was something he was sure he would never understand, he would never be able to accept the fact that he had chosen a vampire as his lover, not after all the battles they fought side by side to destroy Elissa's kind ..._


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Parting company with Elissa had not been as painful as Peter had expected, mainly because he knew they would meet the following night.

But the phone call he had made to Charley had been uncomfortable, as he had said he was out of town for a couple of days, and said the reason was because he was looking for a new job to start, for when the Fright Night show was over.

Of course, Charley had believed him and wished him luck with it – which made Peter feel guilty, because he hated lying to such a good friend, but it seemed there was no other choice to be made...

As he had put the phone down, he had thought how sorry he was that a situation had ever come about to mean that honesty was something he could not give to the one person who had been through so much with him, and who knew the truth about the existence of vampires – again, it seemed ironic that the cause of this was a vampire...

But after hosting the show with a stiff aching back, he had left the studio and Elissa had been waiting for him in the parking lot. She was alone and as he kissed her fondly she clung tightly to him, and he realised the more he saw her, the less he thought about the fact that she was a vampire – she was simply Elissa, and he loved her - and that was good enough for Peter Vincent.

* * *

They drove back to the big house half covered by the shade of heavy tree boughs, and as he parked outside he saw the porch light was on, shining a welcome in the darkness.

"April took Opal over to a friend's house for the night, she will be sleeping over in the daytime too and coming back tomorrow night," she told him as they got out of the car and she then paused to open the gate, "My daughter will enjoy it – April's friend is a vampire mother with three children, Opal loves sleepovers."

As they walked up the path towards the house he asked her a question.

"How did you meet April?"

"She was given to me on loan for her services while I was pregnant," she replied, "Mr Jet Marlowe sent her over to take care of me, April is a qualified doctor. But after Opal was born the two of us had become friends, and she asked to stay and Jet said that she could, because she could help out with his daughter."

"Do you see him often?"

"No," she replied, and then she unlocked the door and opened it, and Peter followed her inside.

"He stops by now and then," she added as she closed the door behind them, "But he is the vampire king – not my boyfriend. He has boyfriends of his own. And plenty of women, too. I always knew I would never be his bride."

And as she turned and looked at him, Peter placed his hands on her shoulders, feeling her cool flesh through the fabric of her silken dress.

"So we're quite alone, the vampire king is no more than a friend and you're sure you want to take me to your bed?"

She smiled.

"I'm _very _sure."

And he pulled her close and kissed her, and she ran her fingers through his hair as their kiss lingered. It felt like agony to let her go again because he was aching with need for her, but he let her go long enough to take hold of her hand instead.

"Show me to your bedroom, I'm keen to see where a vampire sleeps when they don't own a coffin."

"I think you want more than that," she replied, and she gave his hand a squeeze as they went up the stairs, and the feel of her touch made his heart miss a beat.

* * *

The way up the stairs was lit by soft electric lighting, he guessed the house looked like this all the time – the Victorian décor dark against the soft bulbs, with the windows permanently blacked out, giving the impression that the house was cast into eternal night. When they entered her bedroom he saw a romantic scene before him – candles were lit on the dresser and reflected its light in the triple mirror that stood upon it, the velvet drapes at the blacked out window were tied back, and the covered window obscured by thick lace net. The drapes at the window were a shade of deep red that matched the drapes that were tied back on the four poster bed.

As he stood there in the doorway he saw himself reflected in the mirror, and in that looking glass, he reflected as standing alone. He turned his head and looked to Elissa, who smiled warmly.

"The mirror is there to reflect light," she told him, "But I do have a looking glass made of dark mirror that does reflect a vampire's appearance – let me show you."

As he followed her into the room he looked at her in surprise.

"Vampires can't cast a reflection!"

"They can in a dark mirror," Elissa replied, and she led him over to a full length mirror in the corner of the room and turned it around.

He looked on in disbelief as he saw clearly into the ordinary-looking mirror – ordinary in every way _except_ that it reflected him with Elissa standing beside him...

"How can that be?" he asked.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror as she replied, as her eyes clouded with sadness.

"There are not many of these mirrors around any more – they are very old, and hard to come by. As far as I know the method to create such looking glasses has been lost in the mists of time, but they say a vampire's mirror is created by adding human blood to the silvering process. I do not like to think on how this mirror was made, but I am thankful for its use."

"Another gift from his majesty?" Peter wondered.

"How did you know?"

"It was just a wild guess," he replied, and then he put his arms around her turning her from the mirror and towards the bed.

"Now," he said softly, pausing to brush a stray lock of dark hair from her face, "Let us forget all this talk of mirrors and kings, Elissa. Let's go to bed. I want to be here to hold you in the darkness long after the sun has risen."

He saw desire in her eyes and she needed no words to reply as she kissed him and he returned her kisses as they sat down together, and then fell back on to the soft bed, and as he reached for her, she ran her hands over his body and her touch sent shivers of pleasure through his clothing, heating his flesh as he gave a gasp and then began to impatiently undress, while still kissing his vampire lover.

It was to be another night filled with passion – and a back ache in the morning was definitely going to happen, but he didn't care as she lay back and surrendered to him, letting him take the lead as he made love to her, holding her down until his passion was spent, keeping that distance between him and the sharp teeth she could not help but expose as she gave a cry of pleasure.

That night he allowed himself to get closer, even daring to kiss her lips while her sharp teeth shone razor sharp and her eyes carried the glow of the vampire.

* * *

When their passion was spent and he was exhausted and she was warm beside him breathing hard as the glow in her eyes began to fade, he noticed she was looking tired – something he had not see before, because the night always seemed to bring out such energy in her...

"Is something wrong?" he whispered as they lay together in the darkness.

"It is almost daybreak," she whispered, "You can't feel it, because you're not a vampire. The sun rays can't touch me but I feel the coming of dawn as a call to sleep. Just wrap your arms around me and don't let go."

And he did wrap his arms around her, he held her close and as she slipped into a deep, heavy sleep, he released the cord that held back the drapes and they fell forward, closing the four poster bed into absolute darkness.

* * *

Peter slept heavily that morning, in the dark and recovering from the night they had spent making love. When he woke up the drapes were open and the dim lights were on, and as she leaned over him, he looked up at Elissa and smiled.

"I should say _good morning_ but I'm sure it's evening."

"It is," she said fondly, "I must have exhausted you, Peter. You're keeping vampire hours."

And his smile faded as a troubled look clouded his eyes.

"What?" she asked him, and he said nothing in reply as he brought his hand up to the side of his neck and touched it cautiously and then breathed a relieved sigh.

"What did you do _that_ for?"

"Sorry, it's just that when you said that, I thought maybe -"

She was out of bed now and reaching for a long silken robe, which she threw on angrily.

"You thought what, that I_ bit_ you while you slept?"

As he sat up and the last trace of sleep left him, he knew he had made a dreadful mistake. Elissa was hurt and angry, and this was_ not_ something she could forget or brush off easily.

"Please forgive me, I didn't mean to insult you."

As he looked at her he ran his fingers through his hair and gave a sigh.

"You're a vampire. I have never slept beside one of your kind for so long before! I didn't know, maybe you got hungry in the daytime, maybe I was there and warm and human and the thought of it was too much to resist – that is what went through my mind, and I know I was wrong and I'm sorry!"

_"Get dressed and get out of my house,"_ she said bitterly as she blinked away tears, "I can't forget this, Peter! I am a Banished one, we do _not_ harm humans, how many times to do I have to say that to you?"

He had got out of bed and his back ached as he reached for his clothing and began to get dressed quickly as he said nothing in reply, desperately hoping he could think of a way to save this situation from getting worse.

"I'll_ show_ you what I drink," she said sharply, "Wait there for one minute."

And she left the room and went down stairs, and while she was gone, he finished dressing in front of the triple mirror on the table, then he grabbed her comb and ran it through his hair.

As he looked at his reflection he knew at that moment he felt his age, and tonight he certainly looked it – he was sure his hair had never been whiter or the lines on his face deeper. He was getting old, perhaps too old to go through a romance ending in heartbreak...

Now he was dressed once more, he looked back at the bed where he had spent so many happy hours with Elissa, and he wondered if it had really been worth the pain to follow, because clearly, she was so furious with him she would _never_ forgive him for his accusation...

Then she came back into the room, in her hand she carried a crystal drinking glass decorated with elegant engraving. The liquid within was thick and crimson and as she approached him, he stepped back.

"This is my breakfast," she told him, "Well, some of it. Watch me drink it -"

"_No!"_

He looked away and she raised the glass and drank from it and then said his name again. He looked back at her, and her mouth was stained with fresh blood and the glass was empty.

"This disgusts you," she said, "I can see it in your eyes. It doesn't matter that no one gets hurt, its still blood and I'm drinking it and you find that monstrous."

"No, _not_ monstrous," he told her, "But hard to accept! Please be patient with me, Elissa! I can't adjust to your ways, I can't accept them easily."

She blinked to clear tears from her eyes.

_"Then you should go,"_ she said as her voice cracked with emotion, _"Just leave, because if you can't accept these things, you can't accept who or what I am - and I can't change that."_

Her words hit him painfully as he thought of all they had shared and the pain in his heart cut deeply as the thought of walking out of her life was almost too much to bear.

"You don't want me to go."

"Yes I do," she replied, "I'm immortal, I can't spend eternity with a man who can't accept the fact that I'm a vampire. It just won't work."

Peter looked into her eyes.

"Please," he begged her, "Think about this, Elissa – you need to give me more time, I need to learn and understand more. It could work between us, it really could!"

She shook her head.

"I want you to go," she said quietly, and as he left the room and closed the door behind him, she stood there before the triple mirror on the dresser, the one that did not reflect her image, and she was glad she could not see herself within, because as she heard him walk down the stairs and the door slam shut a moment later, she stood there and wept, wishing it all could have been so different...

* * *

_The days passed by, and then turned into weeks._

Charley called Peter, who lied and said he was busy, simply to keep his friend away, because he was heartbroken over Elissa, and that was something Charley could _never_ know, that the great vampire killer had got his heart broken over a vampire...

But Charley persisted with his phone calls, knowing it was most unlike Peter to avoid him. And so Peter invited him over one afternoon, by now it had been over a month since he had last seen Elissa, the pain in his heart had not eased nor faded, and he knew it would be a very long time before he could think of her without shedding tears. He had lost count of the times he had gone over that conversation when he had accused her of biting him, he had wished he could have changed it, but it was done now and could not be altered.

By now Peter had finished filming the last of his Fright Night shows, and that too had left a void in his life – he had hoped when the show finished, by now he would be making plans with his lover, but there was no lover, because she had sent him away, because he could not accept the fact that she was a vampire...

_Perhaps she was right, maybe it wouldn't have worked out._

But the nagging thought that burned in his mind was too much to think about:

_What if they had worked out? How wonderful would it have been, and how much future happiness had he lost?_

He was sure if he knew the answer to that question he would spend the rest of his life regretting the day he walked away...

Elissa was still heavy on his mind on the afternoon Charley came over to the apartment. And eventually, after sitting with Peter for more than an hour and getting little in the way of his usual friendly chatter, Charley was certain that something was wrong.

"You're not still worried about those vampires, are you?" he asked him.

Peter looked at him and paused for thought.

"Vampires? Which ones?"

"The female kind, specifically, the woman with the child. The ones who got scared off by your crucifix."

"What about them?"

He had spotted it, Peter looked tense.

"What's going on?" Charley asked, "I know there's something wrong – if you can't tell me, who else can you share it with?"

And then Peter fell silent for a moment as he gathered his thoughts.

While he waited for him to start talking, Charley had already made his own guesses:

This had to be about the woman and the child, the two vampires who had turned up at the apartment. Maybe he was scared they might come back, or maybe he was concerned at the thought that they were part of something much bigger – the Banished sounded like a large organisation, and the thought of so many vampires out there was enough to scare even the bravest of vampire killers... But when Peter met his gaze, his reply came as a shock.

_"I gave her a chance, Charley. I got to know her...I got to know Elissa. And she was harmless, and kind, and beautiful...and I loved her, and she loved me but I couldn't accept what she was...And that is why she walked away."_

Charley stared at Peter in disbelief, the words had barely sunk in and had hit him hard:

_Peter had fallen in love with a vampire?_

And then he spoke again.

"I loved her, Charley. I loved her, and now I have lost her and I didn't know it would hurt this much!"

Then Peter was sobbing, and Charley got up from his seat, sat down on the sofa beside him and put his arms around him as tears ran down Peter's face.

"_I loved her, Charley!"_ he said again.

And Charley felt an ache in his own heart to see so much pain the eyes of his close friend.

"You loved her, okay, I get that part," he said gently, "Now take a minute to calm down and tell me everything."

Peter blinked away tears as he looked at him in confusion.

"Charley, I've _lied_ to you! Doesn't that bother you? And I had a love affair with a vampire, how can you be so understanding after the battles we fought against her kind?"

By now Charley had let go of him. He looked into his eyes and replied with no less than total honesty.

"We never had to fight off one of her kind. She's peaceful. It sounds like the only kind of danger she poses is the ability to break hearts. And no, I'm _not_ mad at you for lying. This isn't about a vampire – it's about a woman you fell in love with, and you're hurting because you lost her. I know how that feels, I felt that way when I broke up with Alex."

"But Alex wasn't a vampire."

"True, and maybe Elissa being a vampire isn't so hard to accept if you really try. She's not dangerous, so what is there to dislike?"

He gave a heavy sigh.

"Her teeth, the blood drinking, waking up next to her and wondering if she's bitten me in my sleep - that's the hardest part - that's why she told me to get out -"

"You accused her of _biting_ you?"

"It was a passing thought I couldn't ignore," he admitted.

"No wonder she was angry," Charley replied, "She's part of a vampire clan that don't believe in drinking from humans – and you accused of doing the one thing she's against!"

"I hadn't thought of it that way," Peter said, "But it's too late now, she asked me to leave, and so I left."

"Maybe its not too late," Charley replied, "Tell me everything, I'm sure there's a way we can fix this."

* * *

In the time she had been apart from Peter Vincent, Elissa had also been shedding tears of regret – but for more than one reason. She had known before April had confirmed it because vampires simply _did_ know. Even when April had confirmed it, she still didn't want to believe it, but she had known the truth before anyone else – and now April was not at the house to speak up for her, because she had taken Opal over to her friend's place to play with the children, because the news had got back to Jet Marlowe and now Jet had come to visit, and he had insisted on seeing her alone...

"Why did April have to tell you?" Elissa said quietly, and as she looked at him, Jet sat comfortably in a leather padded, high-backed Victorian armchair as he looked intently at her as she sat at a distance from him on a couch in the corner of the front room.

"Because it is her duty to inform me of these things," he replied, "And I am not surprised at all, I knew you had deep desire for that man, Elissa. But you know this will most likely end badly – you have also put your own life at risk in the process. And sooner or later, you have to tell Mr Vincent, because it's only fair to involve him."

She looked at him in alarm.

"I can't tell him about this!"

"You must," Jet replied, "We are a decent clan, Elissa. We do _not_ lie about such matters, nor cover them up even if a mortal is involved."

She wanted to cry but held it back.

"Are you putting him through this to punish him?"

"Why would I do that?" Jet asked.

"Because he used to be a vampire killer. Is that your way of punishing him, to tell him everything because then he will know the consequences?"

Jet shook his head.

"You misjudge me, Elissa. I'm not a harsh man. Only my enemies know my ugly side, and most of my enemies are either dead or working for me now. But largely, I am a fair person. And he has a right to know."

She blinked away tears.

"I did love him."

"And I think you still do."

She nodded.

"That is true, but he could not accept me, Jet!"

"Perhaps you both need more time," Jet replied, and she looked at him in surprise.

"But you were against me seeing a mortal!"

"That was then. Things have changed," as he spoke he looked hard at her as he spelled out the facts:

"Elissa, you fell in love with a mortal, you had a relationship with him and now you're living with the consequences and if there's a chance this relationship can be saved, you must try. You must do it for the sake of your half mortal child, even if it does not live, because there is a small chance that it could survive. _You have to tell him. Tell Peter Vincent you're carrying his child_."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

As Peter stopped his car a short distance from Elissa's house, he shut off the engine and then looked to Charley with a worried expression.

"I'm not so sure this is a good idea," he said nervously, "She asked to me to leave, that was weeks ago -"

"Just walk up to the front door and knock," Charley told him, "You love her, Peter – you have nothing to lose by trying."

"But maybe I do," he replied, "Maybe I'll lose the last tiny glimmer of hope I've been clinging to that she might change her mind."

"As long as you want to try, it's got to be worth a shot."

Peter looked towards the gate, where through the bars, he saw a light on at the porch at the end of the path.

"Oh, I'm not sure, Charley! Maybe I should just leave."

"And then you'll never know."

Sadness reflected in his dark eyes.

"Sometimes never knowing is the best way."

"I don't believe that and neither do you," Charley replied, "I'll wait outside by the gate. If she tells you to go, I'm here for you."

As Peter looked at him, gratitude shone in his eyes as he thought how young, yet kind Charley Brewster was.

"Thank you for taking the time to help out an old man like me, when you could be out enjoying yourself instead."

Charley laughed off the remark.

"Just go and make things right with your girlfriend, Peter," he said.

Suddenly his words had lent him the confidence he needed.

"I'll certainly try to do that," he replied, and they both got out of the car.

* * *

Charley waited outside the gate, watching as Peter walked up the path toward the porch. Once he got there, he reached for the door knocker and then he hesitated and looked back, and seeing Charley still waiting there, he turned away, paused for a moment, and then knocked on the door.

As he waited he felt nervous, but then the door opened and suddenly there was no time left to hesitate or to turn back, because Elissa was standing there and in the soft light that shone down from the porch he felt sure she had never looked so beautiful as she did at that moment.

"Peter," she said, "What are you doing here?"

He felt his eyes sting as his vision blurred, and as he blinked away tears he noticed her eyes were glazed too now.

"I came to see you," he told her, "I had to see you, I miss you so much."

"I've missed you too," she whispered as she put her arms around him, and as they kissed he felt her tremble and he knew it was too late to stop a tear running down his face.

They stood there in the darkness of nightfall, with just the light on at the porch as they stayed locked in an embrace that lasted for a long time. Then as Peter drew back he made no attempt to wipe away his tears as he looked into her eyes and saw love reflected there.

"I'm I love with you," he told her, "And it doesn't matter that you're a vampire, I love you, that's what matters most. Please will you give me another chance?"

She smiled as she blinked away tears.

"Of course I will! It was a stupid quarrel, I regretted letting you go."

He smiled too.

"You'd better not let me go again, my dear!"

She laughed softly.

"I won't!"

And as she took him by the hand and led him inside, Charley watched from the gate and smiled as they went inside and the front door closed – he guessed it would take a while to walk back home from here, but Peter had the car keys. Not that it mattered, it was a warm night and he didn't mind the walk, and most of all, his close friend was happy once more...

* * *

Once they were inside the house, Elissa paused to kiss him again, and then she led him through to the front room and they sat together on the sofa.

"April took my daughter out flying," she told him, "She loves to fly by moonlight. And she will be so pleased to know you are back, they will both be glad."

Then she paused, and her smile faded as she held his hand tightly.

"_It really doesn't matter if Jet Marlowe asked you to reconsider, I'm just thankful to have you back again, because I love you."_

As he looked at her with a confused expression, she knew at once she had been wrong about her assumption, and let go of his hand.

"He didn't send you?"

"If your vampire king wanted to speak with me, I can assure you he wouldn't be giving me orders, Elissa! And why would Jet Marlowe ask me to come back to you?"

All the joy he had seen in her eyes had now faded.

"Because I'm pregnant," she quietly, and looked away.

His eyes widened in surprise, and then as he thought about it, he felt angry.

"_Again?_ Listen my darling, I know he's the vampire king, but he has no right to use you and walk away twice! It was bad enough he didn't use protection the first time around – now he's left you with_ two_ children to raise!"

"No!" she exclaimed, "No Peter, its _no_t like that – Jet is a good father to Opal, and she was a genuine accident, just like this baby is too."

And then she paused for a moment, slowly meeting his gaze as she spoke in a hushed voice.

"_The baby I'm carrying isn't Jet's. The baby is yours."_

Those words left him stunned for a moment, and at first he was lost for words as he thought about how he had always wished he had raised a family – but his career had been busy and left him little time to find the right woman and settle down...

"It's _mine_?"

She nodded.

"I'm sorry."

Joy filled his eyes as he took hold of her hands.

"No, don't be sorry, Elissa! I'm overjoyed! I wasn't expecting to father a child at my age, but this is perfect! Don't worry about anything, it's going to be fine, I couldn't be happier!"

Tears filled her eyes and as he saw the look on her face he knew at once he was very, _very_ wrong about his assumption that all would be well.

"Oh no," he said quietly, "What's wrong?"

She blinked away tears.

"I told you before, there is no such thing as a half human vampire. This child is half mortal and its unlikely to survive, if you had been a vampire, there would be no problem, but you're a mortal. The child could die, and so could I. Mortal blood is poisonous when introduced to a female vampire's body via pregnancy. It simply is not meant to be."

Peter thought about all she had said, and then he shook his head, deciding to follow his heart in all matters concerning Elissa and his child, for now and always.

"No," he said defiantly, "I do_ not _accept that! I believe this child will survive, how could it be wrong for us to have created a life, a life born of our love? I don't care what you've heard about mortal blood being dangerous to vampire mothers – this child is going to be born and it will be just fine, and so will you!"

And he put his arms around her protectively.

"I swear it," he said to her, "I will do whatever it takes to make sure both of you are alright."

They sat together in silence for a while, as Peter thought about the possibility of a future with a wife and two children. And she_ would _be his wife, because he wanted to marry her, and he wanted to be a father to Opal as well as his own child, he had already decided that. And while he was making these plans, Elissa said nothing, thinking only of the dangers she knew she faced. It was Peter who broke the silence, when he spoke up and voiced his plans aloud.

"I very much want to marry you," he said to her, "I want to be your husband, and a father to your children."

Sadness shaded her eyes.

"The baby will most likely not survive. If it does, it will not be well. There are ways to save a half mortal but none of them are perfect. Jet knows the ancient ways, and he's very keen to preserve all vampire life. He's not pleased about what's happened of course, but he said he wants to see us together to face the consequences, he said you had a right to know. I'm so glad you came back, not just because I love you, but because I was afraid to tell you. I thought you'd walk away from me."

Her words had shocked him.

"Walk away? You think I'd leave you with a baby and an uncertain future?"

She shook her head.

"I don't know," she replied, "I mean, you're a mortal, you're getting older, you probably want a quiet life."

Peter laughed as warmth and softness filled his eyes.

"I'll tell you what I want," he told her, "I want the rest of my life to be filled with you and me and all that we can share, I want us to be happy together and I want to hear our children running about this house at night and I want to hear their laughter and I want to raise them! I really _do_ want this, Elissa."

"But you mortals have such a short lifetime," she replied, "Vampire children grow up the same way as mortal children do, but then you would grow even older and then you would be gone. And I would be alone again, with nothing but memories to keep me company for all of eternity."

"That is very true," he agreed, "But there's nothing I can do to change that."

And he took hold of her hand again, his heart aching as he saw deep sadness in her eyes.

"It's unfortunate for me that I had to wait a lifetime to meet you, but at least I can spend the rest of my life with you."

"_Or all of eternity."_

He stared at her.

"Eternity?"

As he looked at her, he knew what she meant, and her suggestion had come just as pain had cut deep into his heart as he considered his own mortality and the fact that he probably had few years left to be with his new family.

_It made sense that he could become a vampire and join them forever._

_But that thought also terrified him..._

"You want me to become a vampire? _Me?_ Elissa, I have _killed_ vampires!"

"I know that, but your actions were justified, they were preying on human life. I'm suggesting you join me so that you can be eternal, then we can always be together."

He looked at her doubtfully.

"You really think I could live as a vampire?"

"Why not?"

He looked back at the woman who he wanted to spend forever with...

_Forever would be a certainty if he became a vampire._

"I think you could be right," he said to her, "It won't be easy but I believe I can cope with the idea of drinking blood if I had to do it."

"_And there will be no more talk of drinking blood without my permission."_

They both looked to the doorway, to see Jet Marlowe standing there.

"I didn't hear you knock," Elissa said.

"I'm the vampire king – I don't need to knock," he replied, and then he looked at Peter.

"_We need to talk, Mr Vincent,"_ he told him, _"Because becoming a vampire isn't an easy choice – nor can you change your mind once the deed is done."_

* * *

As the fire glowed in the hearth, Jet sat down in the leather armchair, got comfortable and then looked intently at Peter.

"So, you were once the great vampire killer."

"You know who he killed and why!"

Jet held up his hand, and Elissa fell silent.

"I'm waiting to hear what Peter has to say about it," he told her, "So hush."

"What do you want me to say?" Peter demanded, "Jerry Dandrige and his sister were dangerous! I had no choice."

"And had you to got there first my people would have eventually caught up with them and contained the situation – you saved me a lot of work," Jet replied, "As you know, we do _not_ prey on mortals, and we detest those who do. However, there _is_ a small matter that I must raise with you."

Confusion clouded his eyes.

"I don't understand," Peter replied, "You just said you understood why I killed them -"

"I get why you killed the Dandrige siblings. Both of them, and their kind, were predators. _But you also drove a stake though the heart of a young man known as Evil Ed_."

There was a name he had not heard in a long while...

"Ed was also dangerous," he told him, "He was crazy, and volatile with it."

Jet shook his head.

"No, Peter – he did not deserve to die. Had I known of him, I would have had him brought into my clan. He was young and barely into his transformation. He needed guidance and education."

Peter looked at him in disbelief.

"Guidance and education? He was insane and dangerous! How can you even suggest that he could have changed?"

"Because he was a young mortal who became a vampire and did not have the right guidance," Jet replied, "And I see his death as unnecessary and unjustified, and therefore this is something you must consider if you wish to become a member of our clan. You also need to be agreeable about certain matters concerning your _own _child."

As he felt something angry and protective rising up along with his unusually fierce temper, it dawned on Peter that he was already protective over his unborn child.

"_Leave our baby alone."_

He had spoken darkly, and as Jet looked at him, he could almost see the thought there at the back of his mind:

_Peter Vincent intended to protect the child, so much that he would have taken up a wooden stake to do so if anyone threatened the baby – even the king of the vampires..._

"I was suggesting a way that your child can be saved," Jet told him.

Peter stared at him in shock.

"Evil Ed died! How could he do anything for the baby? And you don't even know if this child will be sick – it could be strong and healthy."

Jet shook his head.

"That baby is _half mortal_. It's a vampire that can't flourish. It will be born weak, it will not feed, and it will die – unless it is fused with the life force of a deceased vampire. That would mean taking bone from the corpse and grinding it down to fine powder and mixing with human blood. If the child drinks it, the mortal half will be destroyed and the child will become full vampire – even taking on the traits or appearance of the deceased vampire. It's a way to save your child. That's why I have decided if this method is employed, it would only be right to use the remains of the young vampire who _you_ killed."

Peter felt as if his own blood had been shot through with ice.

"But Ed was insane and dangerous, how many times do I have to tell you that?"

"And the child will be yours, but with some of Ed living on within him. You can raise that child to the ways of the Banished, he may not be easy to handle but he will certainly live the way we expect our clan to live."

"I will do anything to save my child," Elissa said quietly.

"And now on to a subject of more immediate importance," Jet added, "Peter, if you take the bite, it is forever. That means eternity in night, no more sunlight, drinking blood to survive. Do you really want to do that? Because I see fear in your eyes. You can't become what you're afraid of."

"I want to be with my family," Peter replied, "I'll do what ever it takes."

The vampire king looked at him doubtfully.

"I don't think you have what it takes to become a vampire," he told him, "You spent a lot of time fighting our kind. Not all those who take the bite can transform. Some, on rare occasion, fight the process so deeply that they grow sick and die because they can't let go and give in to immortality and the darkness it brings with it. So, she could bite you and you could fight the procedure and die. It could happen, it can go wrong. And I'm concerned about this possibility - because you were a _vampire killer!_"

He had spoken accusingly.

"And now I wish to become a vampire," Peter replied, "And I am decided on this matter – I was decided from the moment I knew about the baby, when I knew Elissa loved me and wanted to be with me forever. I will _not_ change my mind!"

The vampire king looked at him thoughtfully.

"You don't have to do this," he told him, "That child is half mortal. You should wait until its born, then if it doesn't live you've made no commitment. Why commit now ? _You should play it safe, wait and see if there's a baby that thrives at the end of the pregnancy, otherwise you could be joining us and stuck with Elissa forever, all for a dead child who didn't make it._"

Anger flashed in Peter's eyes. He made a move to rise from his seat but Elissa grabbed at the sleeve of his jacket and held him back.

"Don't!" she said in horror, "He will kill you if you strike him!"

Looking at the powerful vampire king, Peter knew she was right – he was certainly no match for Jet Marlowe. But he refused to hold in his anger as he glared at him.

"_How dare you say such a thing!"_ he exclaimed, _"I am here with Elissa because I love her! And I will love her regardless of what the future holds! I am here for her and both of her children, and any more children we may one day have together! Is love so hard for you to understand?"_

To his surprise, the vampire king smiled as warmth crept into his ice blue eyes.

"That is _exactly_ the reaction I was hoping for, Peter," he told him, "I can see that you do love her – and you would even stand up to _me_ to prove it. Very well, you have my permission – you may join us by receiving the bite if you wish to do so. When you choose to receive is up to you, but know you have my blessing."

His reply had come as a surprise.

"Thank you," Peter said, and then Elissa looked gratefully to Jet.

"I really appreciate this help," she told him.

"Had you waited until he was a vampire, your kid would have been just fine," Jet said as he glanced at Peter, "Then you wouldn't have needed my help at all. But know that I'm here – I'm around for _both _of you now."

And then his image shrunk in dark mist, and twisted and formed into a bat, and he flew out of the room, down the hallway and out of the open door and into the night sky.

* * *

By the time morning came, Peter's mind was made up and no doubts remained. His only fear now, was how Charley would react to the news. Thinking about all they had faced together, when fighting what he now knew was the evil side of the vampire community, he dreaded to see the look on his young friend's face when he told him that he planned to embrace eternity to be forever with Elissa and the children. He had decided to hold back on telling him the part about the complications with the baby being half mortal, because it would be enough for now, to learn of his plans to become a vampire...

They met at the coffee shop before college started, as Charley walked in and came over to the table to join him, the room was brightly lit by morning sunshine and Peter thought about how soon he would never see sunlight again, and how its warming glow that had once seemed so welcome would become the enemy. And then he wondered if _he_ would become an enemy in Charley's eyes, and suddenly telling him seemed very difficult indeed...

"I take it last night went well?" Charley said brightly as he sat down.

Then he noticed Peter looked tense.

"Or not? Did something go wrong, you don't look too happy? Please say she took you back."

Peter gave a heavy sigh.

"Yes, she did take me back. She also told me she was pregnant. I'm going to be a father."

For a brief moment Charley's eyes lit up with surprise.

"That's great news - oh no...wait...she's a _vampire_, so -"

"The baby will also carry vampire blood, yes," Peter told him, "You're right, it's not as simple as that, but thats _not_ what I needed to talk to you about."

"Then what is it?" Charley asked him.

Peter drew in a deep breath.

"I'm getting old, Charley. I don't have many years left to spend with Elissa and my new family. But...I could have, there _is_ a way..."

He paused and looked at Charley, who looked back at him across the table. Suddenly he got it, and his eyes widened as she looked in horror at Peter.

"No, you can't do that...you can't become a vampire!"

"I can, and I will because it is the only way – _Charley, wait!_"

His words had no effect as Charley got up and turned away and began to walk out of the coffee shop.

"Please listen to me!" Peter said, but he didn't even look back.

_"No, Peter, I can't listen to this - leave me alone!"_ Charley called back sharply, and then he walked outside into the sunshine, and he kept on walking without looking back, leaving Peter Vincent very much alone with his decision to become a vampire...


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"_Are you sure about this?"_

As Elissa asked that question, Peter thought of Charley's reaction, and of the way he had got up and walked away, wanting to get as far away from him as quickly as he could, because he could not believe what he had decided to do, nor could he accept it...

"I am sure," he told her as they stood together in her bedroom, "But it does hurt that Charley Brewster walked away like he did. I thought he would understand, but I was wrong."

"Maybe its for the best," Elissa told him, "I mean, you were close friends at a time when vampires had to be killed. Now you are becoming a vampire, perhaps that is something he could never, ever have understood – it is best if he walks away now, if he can't understand your reasons."

"I never thought he would have done that," he added, "And it does hurt. I was hoping he would be there for me -"

"You have me now, you have a family," she reminded him, "And we will always be here for you. Don't be afraid of the transition from mortal to vampire."

Doubt reflected in his eyes.

"I must confess I am dreading the pain of the bite."

"Think of it as the moment you sever ties with the human realm and embrace eternal life," she told him, "It will make it easier. And Jet is right, you must welcome and accept this or it could go wrong, you used to kill vampires, that makes you high risk for crossing over to become one of us. I'm afraid you might fight the process."

And she reached up and touched his cheek.

"I love you so very much, if something went wrong and I lost you now, I would have eternity to miss you."

"That won't happen," he promised her, "I want to be with you forever."

"And you really want to do this tonight?" she asked him.

He nodded.

"I want to get it over with, I just want to join you and then I've got no more time to think about being afraid."

She smiled as desire darkened her eyes.

"There's no need for fear," she said softly, "I will only bite to join you to us, and I will only drink blood that is warm with desire. It will be enjoyable for both of us."

Those words made his eyes sparkle.

"Oh I see, its going to be_ that_ kind of bite?"

"Yes it is," she promised him, and then she kissed him gently.

* * *

As night had fallen, Charley Brewster had grown increasingly anxious as he thought of Peter and his decision to become a vampire:

_What was he thinking?_

_This man had fought alongside him to kill vampires, and now he wanted to become one of them, just because he had fallen in love?_

_He thought of Peter as he knew him, and wondered what had changed in him so much to make him come to such a decision._

_True, he was getting older, and he wanted to be with Elissa and the baby..._

_But he wanted to give up his mortality?_

_Peter Vincent was prepared to spend eternity drinking blood?_

_Was he really prepared to do that?_

And that was when the answer hit him:  
_No he wasn't._

_He hadn't really thought this through at all..._

Charley grabbed his coat and ran out of the house with one thought going through his mind as he raced down the moonlit street:

_Peter was making a terrible mistake, and he had to stop him..._

* * *

As Peter lay back on the bed and untied his bathrobe, he closed his eyes and drew in a tight breath as Elissa ran her hands over his body. She had done all she could to relax him, she had run him a hot bath, then she had massaged him with scented oils and her touch had aroused him in such a way that he was still hard and didn't want to think about that massage too much, because he wanted to last when they made love...

But now he was on the bed and she was sitting beside him, thoughts of passion were slowly fading as fear crept back in.

He snapped his eyes open as his body tensed.

"Are you sure we won't be disturbed?"

She gave a sigh as she ran her hand down his naked body, stopping just above his erection.

"We are quite alone, Opal is staying at a friend's house. No one will disturb us."

"_Are you ready yet?"_

He looked in alarm towards the open doorway, to see April standing there, and then he grabbed the sheet and covered himself up to his waist.

"What is she doing here?" he demanded.

"Peter, I'm _biting_ you. This is something my kind rarely do and for your safety and mine I must have another of my kind present while I make the bite in case I harm you or drink too much blood – I've already got mortal blood in my baby's veins, I can't afford to allow that child to be exposed to much more of it and the bite will transfer nutrients - too much will transfer the wrong kind. And the primal desire to feed will be hard for me to control once my teeth are in your throat."

His face paled at the thought of her sharp fangs deep in his neck, and then he wondered who he was more afraid for, himself or the half mortal child that she carried...

"It's going to be okay," she promised him, and as she ran her hand across his chest he caught his breath, feeling strangely aroused as she slid the sheet off his body and continued to caress him as April stood there watching.

"I'm not sure -" he began, but then as Elissa sat astride his hips and he felt her naked beneath her robe and teasing him with a gentle pressure against his erection, he gave a gasp and could do nothing but sigh as she shifted closer to him, sliding her hands to his shoulders as she looked into his eyes.

"Of course you're sure," she said softly, and as she smiled and he saw the sharp points of her fangs his eyes widened in fear.

"No...I'm really _not_ sure..I'm afraid, Elissa..."

Someone else was touching him.

He turned his head slightly and saw April looking down at him as she stood beside the bed.

"I'm sure you would rather Elissa bit you – after all, you did choose to be with her forever. If you don't want her to do it, I could always call Jet Marlowe."

And they both laughed softly.

"Jet would_ love _to take my place and do this," Elissa told him in a seductive tone, leaning closer and whispering in his ear, _"Just close your eyes and enjoy the two of us touching you...or imagine Jet here too...Oh Peter, did you just get even harder?"_

He met her gaze with confusion in his eyes.

"This is all very erotic - but I'm not sure if I can go through with it..."

April ran her fingers through his hair.

"Just relax," she said gently, "It's not happening yet..."

And then she continued to stroke his hair as her own fangs began to grow sharp and pointed, and she took in a slow breath, reminding herself that she had already fed, and was here to protect and_ not _to feed...

As Elissa shifted position and he felt her draw him into her body, he thrust his hips gently and gave a low moan of pleasure, keeping his eyes shut as April toyed with his hair as Elissa slowly made love with him.

He did not see Elissa's eyes take on a glow as she looked to April.

"Hold him still," she whispered, and as she sank down and caught her breath as their bodies locked together, and as April gently turned Peter's head and held him still, the side of his throat exposed, he opened his eyes and gave a gasp.

"_NO!"_ he said in breathless panic _"No Elissa, don't..."_

"It's okay," she said softly, "I love you."

And as she spoke he felt her breath against his throat as her grip tightened on his shaking hand.

Tears filled his eyes and he dragged in another breath.

"_I'm not ready to do this...I'm not ready!"_

"Shh," she whispered, and then her lips brushed his flesh and her mouth opened, and pointed fangs shone sharp in the softly lit room as he gave a sob and a tear ran down his face.

* * *

Charley was breathless as he ran up the path to the porch, and then he grabbed the door knocker and hammered on it loudly.

"_Open the door!"_ he called out, _"Let me in, I need to see Peter!"_

He waited no more than a few seconds, and then he stepped back from the porch and looked up at the house.

"_Peter?" _he shouted_, "Are you in there?"_

And then the door opened, but the tall blonde woman who stood there in a short white dress was definitely not Elissa.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"I'm April, I live here, I'm friends with Elissa," she replied, "Who are you and what do you want?"

He went up to the open front door and looked at her pleadingly.

"Please, tell me the truth – is Peter Vincent here? I need to see him, he's making a terrible mistake -"

"Come in," she said calmly, and she stepped back and he hurried inside.

April barely had the chance to shut the door as he raced past her and turned around, looking about the wide hallway.

"_Peter?"_ he called out.

April hurried over to him.

"He's upstairs and resting, please keep your voice down!"

"Thanks," Charley said, and then he took to the stairs, running up quickly in search of his friend.

* * *

As he dashed down the upper hallway, he saw the door to the master bedroom was open and he went inside, but as he went in he stopped sharply, looking in horror at the sight that met his gaze:

Peter was in bed, his face was pale and his eyes were closed. His head was turned slightly and on his neck were two deep, fresh puncture wounds that shone bloody in the lamp light.

"Peter?" he whispered, and as he remained still with his eyes closed, Elissa, who sat on the edge of the bed holding his hand, turned her head and looked to Charley and then spoke in a low voice:

"He wanted this. He was frightened, but he wanted to join us."

Charley glared at her.

"I don't believe he wanted this at all!" he said angrily, "He didn't have enough time to think about it, you pushed him into it!"

"No she did not!" April said defensively as she entered the room and joined them, "He wanted it over with as quickly as possible! He told the vampire king how much he wanted it, Jet Marlowe gave his blessing!"

Charley stood there looking at the two women – he felt sure Peter had not been entirely certain, how could anyone have been certain about something as serious as this, after giving the matter such little time and consideration?

"Are you telling me he just laid back in that bed and told you to go ahead and bite him?"

"It wasn't like that," Elissa said, "He was very frightened. He was crying. But until the second before I bit him, I was sure that he wanted me to do it, as afraid as he was at the last minute -"

"He told you to stop!" Charley said, "He did, I'm right, I know I am because I _know_ Peter! He changed his mind and you bit him regardless of his decision!"

She looked down at Peter as she replied.

"I knew he would be afraid, but he just wanted it over with. He was panicking, that was all. He will be glad he went through with it when he wakes."

And then she continued to look down at him as she stroked his hair.

As Elissa stayed beside Peter, April spoke up again.

"Come with me," she said to Charley, and as he blinked away tears as he kept on looking at the sight of his friend with a bite mark in his neck, she put her arm around him and led him out of the room and then closed the door behind them.

* * *

Charley was weeping as he followed April into the front room. She sat him down and handed him a drink that looked and smelled like brandy, and he placed it on the table and wiped his tearful eyes.

"_I'm too late."_

April sat beside him and looked at him kindly.

"What has happened tonight is a good thing, Charley. Your friend will live forever."

Charley blinked away more tears as he thought about the impossible situation he was faced with.

"I won't believe he wanted this until he looks me in the eye and tells me so! He said he wanted to join Elissa, he told me about the baby too – but I just walked away, that was down to me, not staying around to talk him out of it. But I didn't think he would go through with it! I thought if I got here in time -"

"You would have saved him from what?" April asked, "The chance to be with the one he loves forever? To never age, to never die? You would deny him that, you would want to talk him out of a chance of immortality?"

Charley pulled back a sob as his heart ached deeply, blinking away more tears.

"I feel as if I've just lost one of the best friends I ever had."

"No, he's _not_ lost – he's gained so much!"

Charley shook his head.

"I want to stop this but I can't go putting a stake through the heart of his girlfriend, his pregnant girlfriend who he's in love with. I have to sit back and watch him turn into a vampire."

"Yes, you do have to watch that happen," she agreed, but she spoke kindly, "He wanted this, remember that. In time, you will accept it. I can see that you're very close – there is no reason for his choice to destroy your friendship."

Charley still felt shocked by the sight of Peter in that bed, with the bite mark in his neck. He picked up the glass and drank from it, and the brandy burned his throat as it went down, but it took the edge off the chill that ran through his body.

"It's real," he said in surprise.

April smiled.

"We do enjoy some food and drink – mainly the finer things - not all vampires exclusively feed on blood, we still retain a few human likes, you know."

"I didn't know that," he replied honestly, and he wiped his eyes again, "But I won't believe he wanted this to happen until he tells me that. I need to hear it from him, not from anyone else."

She nodded.

"Fine," she replied, "And you can see him, of course you can – when he wakes, he will explain everything to you."

And Charley drank some more of the brandy and sat there in silence, wondering how much he had heard was truth and how much was a lie – and how much of this situation he could handle, because he still could not accept that Peter Vincent the vampire killer had decided to embrace an eternity of drinking blood...

* * *

Peter woke slowly from a sleep that had been deep, and his neck throbbed painfully and he felt weak and as he dragged himself out from that slumber, he recalled brief snatches of vision that had played before his eyes just before sleep had claimed him:

_He recalled burning pain in his neck and heavy pressure as Elissa had struggled to hold back from losing control, and then she had been dragged away sharply, her mouth open and fangs covered with blood, as April had told her, Enough..._

_And he had caught a look in Elissa's eyes and in that moment she had not been the woman he loved – her eyes glowed, blood stained her mouth and she reached for him again as the hunger for blood overtook her._

_April pulled her back again, yelling that she would rip out his throat if she didn't stop right now..._

He drew in a slow breath and blinked to clear blurred vision.

"Peter?"

He looked up and saw Elissa beside his bed, and then he realised she was holding his hand, and he saw a frightened look in her eyes and the blood was gone from her mouth and she no longer looked like the terrifying blood stained vision he recalled.

"_You bit me,"_ he whispered, wondering why he felt so weak, _"I feel so weak...I want this to stop!"_

"No!" she said firmly as she leaned over him and looked into his eyes, "No, you can't fight this! You will die if you fight this, Peter! Accept it, let the feeling run through your veins, accept what you will become, it is the only way."

And then she ran her hand over his hair and smiled as she looked down at him.

"Soon you will feel much better. You need to feed, you need to drink some blood."

"No!" he said in horror, "No, I told you – I can't do it, I don't want to do this!"

As he looked up at her in fear, she responded by gently kissing his cheek.

"You made it clear you wanted to join us. I know you told me to stop but that was just your fear, there is nothing left to fear now. Have some rest, and when I return, when you drink, you will become stronger. It's going to be okay."

And then she left his bedside and walked out of the room and closed the door behind her.

The wound in his neck throbbed and he wanted to get up and get dressed and leave, but he was too weak to move. He thought about how he had rushed into his choice to join Elissa, and then he wondered if it was too late to reverse the process – he wanted to be with her forever, of course he did – but now she had bitten him, the future seemed to be dark and cold as the grave and to think he would have to live as a vampire forever was a thought that filled him with dread.

"_What have I done?"_ he whispered, _"I think I've made a terrible mistake..."_

* * *

As Elissa walked into the front room, she went straight over to April, who was over by a drinks cabinet pouring a glass of brandy.

"I'm scared," she said, "Something is wrong, he's really sick – he shouldn't be as weak as this...I think he's fighting it -"

And April picked up the glass and turned towards the sofa.

_"There's your brandy, Charley,"_ she said, setting it on the table, and as he looked to Elissa he stood up and began to speak, demanding answers.

"What did you just say? Did you say he's sick?"

"This is Charley Brewster," April said, "A good friend of Peter's. He really does need to see him."

"I _want_ answers!" Charley demanded again.

"He's fighting the process," Elissa said quietly, "He was afraid when it came to taking the bite and now he's trying to fight the transition. If he keeps fighting it he will die," then she blinked away tears, "The vampire king warned me! He warned both of us – he said Peter could fight it because of his past, because he was a vampire killer. If he keeps on fighting it, he will not survive!"

"Maybe he will survive – _and_ overcome the vampire infection you gave him!" Charley said bitterly.

April stared at him.

"That is such an offensive thing to say!" she exclaimed, "Talking about my breed as if we are a disease! Not all of us are evil bloodsuckers who prey on the living, Charley! What ever you think of us, _please _leave your prejudice at the door when you enter this house!"

"I don't have time for this," Charley said, "I just want to see Peter."

"Then go and see him, he's not a prisoner!" Elissa told him sharply.

"I'll do that," Charley replied, and he left the room and hurried up the stairs once more, impatient to speak with Peter and find out the truth.

* * *

Charley hurried back to Peter's room, and was relieved to find he was awake. He still looked pale and weak, and bruising was starting to come out around the bite to his throat, but at least he was conscious now.

He sat down on the edge of the bed and said his name twice before Peter was able to turn his head and look up and focus on him.

"Charley?" he said in surprise, "What are you doing here?"

"What do you think I'm doing here, I wanted to come back and stop this from happening."

As pain throbbed deep in the bite mark, Peter's eyes filled with tears.

"I changed my mind at the last minute," he said tearfully, "But it was too late. I don't blame Elissa, she thought I was just afraid...it's too late now. I have to live with the consequences of my choice."

"Maybe there's a way we can reverse the process."

"No, there is no way to do that!" Peter said, "And...I'm not so sure I'd want to reverse it, even though I'm not sure I can cope with it. At least I'll' be here for her and the baby no matter what happens."

"What do you mean?"

"My child may not survive," Peter said weakly, "Children conceived half mortal rarely do... but I want to be there for both of them, I want to be there forever."

"I didn't know the baby was sick," Charley told him as he took hold of his hand, "I get it now - I'm not comfortable with it, I'm not sure I ever will be - but I get why you chose to do this. And Elissa says you have to stop fighting the transition, you could die if you don't stop."

Peter was still tearful.

"I'm trying, but I just can't let it take me over!"

As Charley looked down at him he wished that Peter could fight back and win and over come the effect of the bite, but he knew that was impossible. He was growing weaker and weaker, and as much as he hated to admit it, the only way to save him was to encourage him to embrace what he was becoming.

"You have to stop fighting this," he told him, "Please, Peter. If you want to be with Elissa and be there for the baby, you have to go along with what is happening. You _have_ to stop fighting it."

Sadness reflected in Peter's eyes as he looked up at him.

"_I can't do it,"_ he replied weakly, _"I can't face it, I can't drink blood."_

And then he gave into his weakened state and closed his eyes, and his hand slipped from Charley's grip as he fell once more into a deep and exhausted sleep...


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

As Peter let go of Charley's hand, Charley looked down at him and felt a wave of panic.

"Peter?" he said, and placed his hand on his shoulder and gently shook him. When he got not response, he shouted his name and shook him again, this time harder, and Peters eyes briefly opened, he looked at Charley and tried to speak, but gave up on the attempt and closed his eyes again. Charley was gripped by a thought that terrified him – that Peter was slipping away...

And then Elissa and April hurried into the room and he looked to the pair of them desperately.

"_Do something! He just passed out on me!"_

"I will if you get out of my way," April replied, and as he stepped aside he was surprised to see her place a doctor's bag on the bed and take out a stethoscope.

"Where did you steal that from?"

She glared at him.

"This must be a _new_ urban myth – vampires are thieves now?"

And then he said nothing more as she listened to Peter's heart and then put the stethoscope away.

"He's getting weaker," she told him and he saw Elissa put a hand to her mouth as she stifled a sob, "He needs blood," April continued as she looked to Charley, "Now only fresh warm blood will be enough to revive him. He's weak, he won't be able to get through the transition without it. I mean, he needs blood straight from a vein. Charley, he will die without it. Would you be willing to help him?"

He didn't hesitate with his answer.

"Of course I will – but don't you need to make sure our blood groups are compatible?"

"There is no need to do that," she assured him.

"But if he needs a transfusion -"

"No Charley," April said, "He doesn't need a transfusion. _He needs to drink it_."

He stared at her.

"You want him to _bite_ me?"

"No, I want to draw some blood from your arm using a needle and then get him to drink it."

Charley breathed a relieved sigh – for one terrible moment he thought he would have to choose between taking a vampire's bite, or losing his best friend.

That was when it hit him:

Yes, Peter Vincent_ had_ become his best friend. They had been through too much together, now they could be nothing but the best of friends – and he didn't want to think about the terrible choice he would have had to make to save him if Peter had needed to bite him in order to survive...

Charley was so glad he had been wrong about that assumption that he barely felt the needle as it dug into his flesh, and as he watched the blood flow out of his arm and down a tube all he could think was, at least one of them would be leaving this house come sunrise – and he wasn't sure if he ought to feel guilty about being so glad it was him, because he still wished he could have saved Peter from taking that bite...

* * *

A short while later he felt slightly dizzy, and wanted to lie back on the couch in the front room as he took some time to recover from losing a little of his blood. April had left the room, and moments later she and Elissa went up the stairs.

Charley closed his eyes, deciding after all the assumptions he had first made on arriving that actually, he _was _safe to fall asleep in this house of vampires.

_But his sleep did not last long. _

He was woken by Elissa, who looked tearful and worried.

"Charley," she said, "Please, come with me – Peter won't drink. But I think he might take the blood if you gave it to him. Will you do that? Please, say yes – he needs your help..."

* * *

Moments later Charley was upstairs in the master bed room, sitting at Peter's bedside. He seemed even worse than he had an hour before – he was weak and pale and growing weaker still.

"Peter," he said, "Look at me."

And Peter looked at him and it took a moment, but then he recognised him.

"You have to drink," he told him, "Please, just trust me and drink. You will die if you don't do this."

And Peter saw Charlie beside him, and heard his words and understood, and then he raised his head from the pillow and Charley raised the glass to his lips, and Peter Vincent drank blood for the first time.

As soon as he began to taste it, as soon as he swallowed it, he felt his weakness start to fade, the chill that had crept through his bones began to give way to warmth, and suddenly he felt comfortable and free of pain and weakness.

As he rested against soft pillows he gave a contented sigh and savoured the last of the taste of the warm blood that had revived him, and as something dark and powerful took over he ran his tongue over sharp fangs, saw the room blur as his eyes felt different, and he knew he was taken over by the vampire within. Then he looked at Charley, who was staring at him.

"Where ever that came from, I'd like some more, please," he said, and he wondered why he caught a flicker of fear in his friend's eyes.

Then Elissa placed her hand on his shoulders and eased him downwards, he felt like sleeping so he let her make him comfortable, and then he saw tears in her eyes, but now she was weeping from relief not sadness as she turned away and April hugged her.

"I don't know where it came from," Charley lied, "Elissa gave it to me – from the refrigerator."

Peter smiled.

"Are you sure about that? Because it tasted _very_ warm to me."

And then he mentally pulled back on the urge to let those fangs grow longer and the power within him blaze brightly. He knew he had overcome his fear and that drinking the blood had completed the process. He was now a vampire - and all of a sudden, he had no regrets as he looked intently at Charley, who was still staring at him. Then he turned his head and looked into the dark mirror, and saw himself reflected:

Now he knew why Charley was still staring even though he had managed to calm the thirst for more blood – he didn't just look well again, he looked at least ten years younger. The lines on his face had faded, his hair was a vibrant shade of brown, with just a trace of silver left. Becoming a vampire had made him younger and stronger, and he knew it would last for eternity.

He looked back at Charley.

"I do believe the process is complete," he said, and Charley nodded.

"You look good for it," he admitted.

And then Peter extended his hand to Charley.

"Would you stay with me for a while longer? I feel much better, but I'd like you to stay."

And Charlie looked at him, thought about taking his outstretched hand and then shook his head.

"It's getting late and I need to go home," he said quietly, and as he stood up, he caught a flicker of sadness in his friend's eyes that made his heart ache:

_Peter knew._

_He knew he would never be able to feel comfortable with this, he would never be able to accept his vampire killing friend had decided to become a vampire..._

"But I'll see you again soon?"

Peter had sounded anxious.

Charley nodded, and felt lousy for lying about it.

"Of course you will... I'll see you around."

And then he walked out of the bedroom and down the stairs, and left the house by the front door.

After he had opened the gate and stepped outside on to the street, Charley walked quickly away from the house, and it was then he broke into a run, heading for home as tears stung his eyes and a thought ran through his mind that nothing could ever be the same again:

_Peter was a vampire, and he felt sure he would never, ever be able to get used to that idea as long as he lived..._

* * *

Charley had meant to go back to the house eventually.

He wanted to see Peter, he wanted to know he was okay and he was happy with Elissa, and of course, he wanted to know the baby was okay too.

But he kept putting it off until months had passed by, and the longer he left it the harder it seemed to walk up the door and knock after sundown...

He often thought of Peter Vincent, he missed him and he wanted to see him – but time had put a distance between him and the man he once thought of as a close friend. That man had now become a vampire, it had changed everything, and the longer he waited, the more impossible it seemed that he could ever bring himself to work up the courage and knock on that door and look him in the eye and say sorry for not being around...

He _wanted_ to see him.

He just _didn't_ want to see him as vampire, and now he would_ always_ be a vampire, and Charley could not face up to it, nor did he want to think about it...

* * *

Peter had missed Charley very much too.

But he had decided to stay away, hoping his friend would eventually accept his choice, and come back over to visit.

_But that visit did not happen as the months rolled by._

And then Elissa went into labour and had nine terrible hours screaming and pushing as she brought their baby son into the world.

Peter had held her hand and stayed beside her through out her labour, and it had shocked him that vampire women gave birth suffering the same kind of agony that mortals did.

And then Elissa lay back exhausted as she tearfully voiced aloud the words Peter could not bring himself to say:

"_Why is the baby not crying?"_

April had quickly cut the cord and wrapped the child in a soft towel and rubbed at his skin, and suddenly the baby gave a faint cry.

She turned to Elissa and Peter as sadness shaded her eyes.

"_He will not live like this. We need to call Jet Marlowe."_

* * *

The vampire king had arrived within the hour, he had known it was Elissa's time and as promised, had stayed around, taking up a palatial residence not far from the house, and he had also brought with him something that made Peter's stomach turn over, even though he now drank chilled blood every night in order to stay alive...

"This," Jet Marlowe said, holding up a large glass bottle that contained thick, dark blood mixed with another substance that looked grainy, "Is fresh blood mixed with powdered bone from the corpse of Evil Ed. You must feed the child this mixture every night , even in the daytime if he wakes for food. He must drink all of it. By the end of the week, he will either be a hybrid of your child and Ed, or he will die. I have no control over either outcome but I wish you well with it."

And then as he stood in the bedroom, he looked over to the bed, where Elissa was resting.

"You don't look as sick as I expected," he said to her, "At least we know you've made it okay."

And then he turned back to Peter, who cradled his weak baby son in his arms.

"Just try and get him to feed," he said kindly, "And remember if he wont, as much as it hurts, you're eternal now, you and Elissa – that's more than enough time to have more children –_ vampire _children, who will thrive."

And Peter looked away, back down at the child he held in his arms as he blinked away tears.

"He's going to make it," he replied quietly, "He has to, I need my son to live more than anything in this world."

"Peter," Jet said, and Peter briefly turned his attention from his sick child and looked at him.

"I lost two sons," Jet told him, "Many years ago. I very much hope you never have to feel the pain of such a loss."

Peter's eyes filled with sympathy.

"Were they half mortal?" he asked.

The Vampire king looked at him in surprise.

"Half mortal? Of course not! They were full vampire – and fell victim to a vampire hunter's stake – and don't take that remark personally, I know you would never willingly harm my kind again. All I am trying to say is, I do know the pain of losing a child – although mine were grown men when they perished, the pain was no less for it. I hope you never have to know the depth of that pain."

And then he walked out of the room, and Peter looked down at the child he cradled in his arms. The baby boy looked up at him, with dark eyes that seemed weary and hardly able to focus.

"You _will _live, my son," he said softly, "I will make sure that you do..."

* * *

Charley Brewster had thought about the baby and silently hoped the child was okay – but as the time the birth was due to happen had arrived, it seemed all the more impossible to knock on the door and say Hi – he did not know what sort of a situation he would be walking into, perhaps the baby was okay – or not, and if it was not, this would be a _terrible_ time to walk in unannounced back into Peter's life.

He wasn't sure if he was just hesitant, or if he was deliberately setting obstacles in his way, but all Charley understood was that he didn't really want to go to that house again.

As much as he cared for his best friend, he still could not bring himself to accept his choice to become a vampire.

And so Charley continued to miss Peter, and he continued to stay away...

* * *

A week passed by following the birth of his son, and every day the child was fed the mix of blood and powdered bones.

And each day, the child grew stronger.

But when he looked into his eyes, it began to dawn on Peter that his son was starting to vaguely resemble another – he was starting to look like the young man who had been known as Evil Ed. The child still had Peter's rich brown hair and dark eyes, but his face was changing, and the more the changed, the stronger he became.

Elissa noticed the changes too, but she smiled every time she took her child into her arms, knowing he was now a strong and healthy baby, and the fact that he would be known as a hybrid vampire did not matter to her, because her son would live, and that was all she cared about, that she would not lose him now...

* * *

It took Elissa a month to recover from the birth.

By then she was well once more and the baby was thriving. They named him Ed Peter Vincent, and young Ed was by now a keen feeder, even in the habit of biting his parents when they lifted him from his cradle.

Then they had a guest stop by, and the night that Jet Marlowe came to visit brought a surprise, too – as Jet briefly held the vampire child he smiled and looked down at him and then handed him back to Elissa as they sat together in the front room.

"He's going to be wild when he's older," he said, "I can see you worrying he won't make it home before sunrise, on some nights. You must teach him from an early age not to bite."

And then he turned to Peter.

And now think we should leave Elissa and the children alone and step outside because we need to talk business, Mr Vincent."

"Business?" Peter wondered, and Jet led him out of the room, shut the door behind them, and then they stood together in the hallway.

Opal ran down the stairs and he smiled at his daughter.

"Your mother is in the front room," Jet told her "I will see you shortly – me and your Daddy Peter have some business to discuss."

Opal smiled and nodded and went into the front room and closed the door.

Peter's eyes lit up with joy as he looked to Jet.

"She's been calling me Daddy Peter for months!" he said happily, "I _love_ being a father!"

"And you have made a fine job of accepting the vampire ways – the ways of my people – you drink blood, you hold back the inner vampire, you have not harmed a single human, I'm impressed, Peter. But what impresses me most of all is how you embraced all that you feared and made it work for you, just to be with your family. I'm sure that son of yours is here today because he senses his father is devoted to him."

"Thank you," Peter said, "That means a lot to me, Jet."

"And I hope this does too," the vampire king added, "As you know, I own many businesses worldwide and my employees work by night – most of them are the finest minds in the country. I have vampire scientists working on cures for human diseases, I have others developing new ways to build and run cheap and affordable housing, the list goes on. We are the immortal ones. The humans are weak and we must do all we can to protect their fragile lives. And one day, when the world is ready, they will learn of the Banished and allow us to be more of a part of their society. It will happen, Peter, maybe not now or in a hundred year's time, but one day," and then he smiled, adding, "You never know, I could even be the first ever vampire president!"

Peter smiled too.

"That's a wonderful idea, but what does that have to do with me?"

Jet looked at him intently.

"I have a vast empire. But there's room at the top for an investor. If you were to sell your apartment and sink your savings into shares in my company I can guarantee you a fine income and a fine lifestyle for you and your family forever. I could have made this offer to many vampire brothers I know, but you have earned this, Peter. You crossed from mortal to vampire and let go of your vampire killing past to become a loving father to your children of vampire blood. You deserve to be at the top, with me. I only make an offer like this to the few who have truly earned the privilege. Would you like to become a part of the core of Marlowe International?"

Peter nodded.

"You have a deal, Jet," he replied, and the two vampires shook hands on it.

* * *

_And so time passed by._

After investing in Jet Marlowe's empire, the Vincent family became very wealthy – and soon their name was almost as respected as Jet Marlowe's.

Then Peter and Elissa had married at Jet's palatial home, and after the ceremony he had spoken with the many guests, all of them vampires, all of them of the Banished clan, and come to understand that every word Jet Marlowe had spoken was the absolute truth – he had vampires in every high position in society, all working quietly in the hours of darkness to make the mortal world a better place to be.

And he had wished Charley could have been there to meet these people to see the truth of this other side of the vampire culture, and when he had told Elissa that she had smiled, looking beautiful in her crimson wedding dress as she replied kindly:

"_Leave him be Peter. I am sure one day, when he is ready, he will return."_

And so Peter had put thoughts of Charley to the back of his mind. He had not forgotten him, but he did not want to dwell on the past, either, not when he had a wonderful life with his family to look forward to.

* * *

More time passed, and as young Ed Vincent began to grow, he was a difficult child with angry moods and frequently disobeyed his parents, becoming the handful that Jet had predicted. But Peter never ran out of love or patience when dealing with the son who was a hybrid vampire, and who looked more and more like Evil Ed with every passing day.

But Peter only saw him as his son, trying not to think about the other side of him, that other, hybrid side that came from the young vampire he had killed so long ago.

And then when Ed was three years old, Elissa gave birth to Peter's second child, this time a daughter, a strong and healthy vampire child they named Ruby.

* * *

And so for a few years, it seemed life would always be good and free of problems - until one night after the sun set, eight year old Ed Vincent woke screaming from a nightmare, and Peter got out of bed and hurried to his son's room as Elissa went to her young daughter, who had also woken, because she was confused to hear her brother screaming.

By the time Peter had reached his son's room, Opal, now sixteen and determined to be a helpful big sister at all times, was already in the room hugging him as he sat up in bed.

"He's okay Dad," she said to Peter, "He just had a nightmare."

And Ed looked at his father with confusion in his eyes.

"He was in it!" he said bitterly, and Peter knew at once what this meant – a dream of the past, of another life...

"Go back to bed, Opal," he said to his step daughter, "It's too early, the sun s barely down. I'll handle this."

And Opal left the room and Peter sat beside his son and gave him a hug, and it alarmed him that for once, Ed did not hug him back.

He let go of him and looked into his eyes.

"Tell me what you saw."

The little boy's eyes filled with fear and pain.

"_I had a dream you plunged a stake through my heart!"_

Peter gave a heavy sigh.

"No, not you. The hybrid side of you, the one known as Evil Ed. We have tried to explain this before, me and your mother – you were born half human and that side of you had to be taken away by fusing you with the life force of a deceased vampire. You had a dream about his life."

And then he looked kindly at his son.

"I would never, ever harm you, Ed. I'm sorry you had to dream about the life of another, but it's just a side effect of being a hybrid."

"I don't want to be hybrid."

"It was the only way to save your life," he reminded him, "But always tell me when you get these dreams, because I can explain them to you."

And then he gave his son another hug.

"Never be afraid, no matter what you dream of," he told him, "Always know that you have a mother and father who love you, and we always will."

Ed let go of him and smiled, and now the fear was gone from his eyes.

"I love you Daddy," he said.

"I love you too, son," Peter replied, and then as Ed settled down to grab a little more sleep before night fell completely, Peter left his room and closed the door quietly.

As he walked away from his son's room, the memory was burning bright of the terrible moment he plunged at stake into Evil Ed's heart. Then he thought of Charley Brewster and wished he could talk to him about the past, but Charley had been gone since the day he made the choice to become a vampire.

He wondered if he would ever see him again, and once more, thoughts of his best friend made his heart ache, because Charley had been gone for a _very_ long time now...


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

_The years had flown by._

More than twenty-five years had passed by since Charley Brewster had last seen Peter Vincent. He often thought of him and hoped he was doing well, but he had made no attempt to try and find out.

_Peter had made his choice, he was a vampire now..._

Knowing that still seemed to set a distance that might have been a thousand miles between them, even though the big old house shaded by trees was just a short drive away from his own place across town...

He had missed him all the time, he had missed him more than he cared to think about, and when he saw old re runs of Fright Night while he sat alone in his apartment, he had felt an ache in his heart as he thought how Peter had made his choice for the right reasons – _love_. There couldn't be a better reason for making that choice, he had done it to be with his girlfriend and his family...

That night, when the re run of Fright Night had finished, Charley sat alone in silence thinking about his own life – he was almost forty years old now, and getting older all the time, and getting sick too, while Peter Vincent would never age. And he felt sure Peter was still happy with his family, because he had been determined to make it work. He thought of the sick child he had been so worried about, and hoped his son had survived.

Then he knew he would never know anything for sure unless he went over there, because it was the only way to end the years of regret, and Charley didn't want to waste any more precious time...

And so as the sun went down and darkness covered the skies, Charley Brewster got into his car and made the drive across town to the house where Peter lived with Elissa.

* * *

As he drove through the darkened streets, he blinked away tears as he desperately hoped Peter and Elissa still lived at the same address, if he went there and the place was empty and they had moved on, he felt sure he would feel as if a piece of his heart was gone forever.

Then another thought hit him, even worse than the first one:

_What if he had let too many years slip by, what if Peter slammed the door in his face?_

No...he didn't want to think like that because Peter was _not_ like that, he would never turn away an old friend...

He reached the house, parked outside and got out of the car.

As he thought about the way his own life had turned out, he wanted to cry over that too. But he had made the choice to walk away from the vampires, leaving Peter to enjoy his eternity, while he had lived the life of a mortal, the short life of a human...

He pushed open the barred gate and it swung easily on oiled hinges. Then he closed it behind him and walked up the path to the front door, where the light glowed in the porch just like it had more than a quarter of a century before.

* * *

On reaching the front door he hesitated, blinking away tears as he thought about the pain that was now filling his own life and he really did, he felt glad that Peter would never know that kind of pain, because he was immortal...

He knocked on the door, and it was opened by a tall woman with pale skin and dark eyes and as she smiled, he couldn't help but smile back as he wished he was years younger and looking better than he did, because he easily could have fallen in love with her.

"I'm Charley Brewster," he said, hoping his tearful expression was not noticeable, "And its been too long and I should have done this many years ago...please, tell me Peter Vincent still lives here."

"He does, I'm his daughter Ruby," the young woman said, "He's upstairs, come inside, I'll fetch him for you."

"Thanks," Charley said, and he stifled a sob and wiped his eyes as he stepped into the house.

She closed the door behind him and led him to the bottom of the stairs.

"Dad!" she called out, "Charley Brewster's here to see you?"

There was a pause.

"_Tell him to wait!" _Peter called back urgently, and on hearing his eager tone, Charley felt a wave of relief wash over him – of _course_ he still wanted to be his friend...

Ruby walked away down the hall and left him standing there, and as Peter Vincent hurried down the staircase to join him, Charley looked up at him, seeing him or the first time in over twenty-five years, and tears of joy filled his eyes:

Peter still looked younger, still looked strong and healthy, and always would...

"Charley!" he said warmly as his eyes shone with joy, "I knew you would come back one day, I've waited for this moment! Welcome to my home, welcome back!"

And as he hugged him, Charley wanted to cry, but he kept it back. Then as Peter let go of him Charley glanced at his elegant black suit and silver coloured silken waistcoat and managed a smile.

"Looking good, Peter – very vampire, very elegant, I love it!"

"Thanks," he replied brightly, and then he looked at him intently.

"It's been a very long time, too long," he told him, "Come with me, sit down and tell me what I've missed."

* * *

They went through to the front room and then as Peter stood before the fireplace, Charley joined him.

"Did the baby live?"

"The baby? Oh, you mean my son! Yes, he had to become a hybrid – fused to the life force of the late Evil Ed, the vampire king's decision - but he's doing very well. He's a bit wild but he's grown up, he's in his twenties now and thriving," Peter replied, "And Opal is also grown up – she has an apartment close by – and Ruby – the young lady who answered the door to you, she's my youngest daughter, she's nineteen. And Elissa misses having young children about the place and so do I – so we're thinking about having more babies soon. I think three kids every twenty five years is about right, we can raise them just fine without April's help, she left ten years ago when she married a guy she met at one of Jet's parties."

"Where is Elissa?"

"Visiting at Opal's place. I was just on my way to join her, but I'm sure she will understand when she knows you're here. She always said she thought you would come back one day. Oh Charley, I am _so_ glad you decided to return!"

"I wanted to see you before it was too late," he said as his voice choked with tears, and it was then Peter noticed that Charley looked pale and tired.

"Charley? What's wrong?" he asked.

"Wrong?" he replied, "Just about everything, Peter. That's why I'm here, because I left you out of my life for too long - and I want to put that right before its too late. _I'm sick and I'm dying. I've got no one to leave behind - I never married, never had kids, nothing ever worked out right for me. And now I've got a few months left and that's all._"

For a moment, Peter looked at him in surprise.

"No, you can't be -"

"It's definite," Charley replied, "And I knew I couldn't leave it any longer, I had to see you, I've wanted to come back for years."

And he gave a sob as Peter put his arms around him and embraced him, he kept on embracing him as Charley wept, and then he pulled back a little and looked into his tearful eyes.

"I don't think, deep down inside, you really came here to say goodbye," he said knowingly, "My son Ed is a handful, very hard to control. He needs a friend to keep an eye on him and I have more than enough room in this house for one more."

And he smiled warmly and as he looked into Charley's eyes, his vampire instinct told him all he needed to know.

"_You may have come to this house to say goodbye," _Peter told him, _"But that's not the case. You will not die, Charley. Instead, you have come home."_

And then they embraced again, tightly, and Charley gave a sharp cry of pain as Peter's teeth sank into his throat, and then he closed his eyes and let him drink, welcoming the knowledge that death could not touch him now he had taken the bite.

* * *

As Ruby entered the room Peter let go of Charley, carefully drawing blood stained fangs from his neck, and then Charley reached up, touching the wound to his throat as he felt slightly dizzy.

"You took it much better than I did all those years ago!" Peter said brightly, and he took a silk handkerchief from his pocket and wiped blood from his mouth as his fangs shrank away once more.

Ruby handed Charley a tall glass of chilled blood mixed with chopped mint leaves.

"Drink it," she advised him, and Charley did, quickly, and felt surprised that the taste of it seemed so good all of a sudden.

Peter smiled as he looked at him.

"You've changed," he told him, "You didn't even try and fight it! When you go upstairs, look in the dark mirror – you look like the teenager I used to know!"

"You certainly do!" Ruby exclaimed as she smiled warmly, "You look around eighteen, Charley! And I must say, I rather like it!"

And Peter said nothing as he watched a glance exchanged between Ruby and Charley, feeling sure he understood what his instinct was telling him:

_Charley had never found true love as a mortal, but it looked as if he would find it now – with his daughter, Ruby Vincent..._

"Want some more?" she asked him, and Charley nodded, and she took the empty glass from his hand and left the room.

"I was told a few years back by Jet Marlowe," Peter said to him, "That if you ever returned I was allowed to give you the bite if you wished to join us. And it makes me very happy that you have."

Then there was a thump and a flutter of wings and a bat flew into the room, settled on top of the corner of a shelf, then flew down to the floor, where it twisted and dark mist formed and then the mist was gone, and there stood a young man in dark jeans and a black shirt with spiked up hair. Charley stared at him.

"_Evil?"_ he whispered.

Ed stepped closer.

"Charley Brewster?" he exclaimed, looking to his father, "_This_ is your friend? He looks younger than me!"

"That's because he just took the bite."

Ed looked at him in surprise.

"And you changed so fast? Not many people can do that! You're cool, Brewster!" he said, and laughed loudly.

Charley looked to Peter.

"He's just like him -"

"Only in some ways. He's also my son," he replied.

Then Ruby returned with more chilled blood.

"Sis you read my mind!" Ed exclaimed, making a swipe for the drink, but she pulled it back and handed it to Charley.

"If you're hungry you know where the kitchen is!" she scolded him, "Come on, I'll fix you up some blood – I don't want you taking the last herb infusion, that's mom's favourite and you know it!"

And they both left the room and once again Peter and Charley were alone.

* * *

Peter looked fondly at Charley as he smiled warmly.

"Do you think you can get used to living here with us?" he asked him, and Charley nodded.

"Maybe I wanted to join you years ago, but I was too afraid to think about it."

"Well there's nothing more to think about, or to be said," Peter replied, "It is done now. Welcome to eternity."

And Peter embraced him again, and as he let go, he saw joy shining in Charley's eyes.

"Thanks, Peter," was all he could think to say as he considered how his life had changed and all despair and loss of hope had been erased with the bite from his best friend.

Peter smiled warmly, knowing he would never again feel as if someone was missing from his life, because his best friend was here to stay forever now.

"_Welcome to the family,"_ Peter said fondly,_ "Welcome home, Charley Brewster."_

End


End file.
